Topic: Your Righteousness Doesn’t Change — Tuesday August 8, 2017

“For He hath made him be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV)

Your righteousness does change because it is of God in Christ. It has nothing to do with what you did or didn’t do. Imagine me as a man coming out wearing a lady’s gown, wearing makeup, putting on high heel shoes and then put on some artificial stuff. I can do all that but like it or not, it doesn’t change the fact that I am still a man. The fact that you made some mistakes, you blew it or fell into one error or the other doesn’t change your standing. You are still the righteousness of God in Christ. And there is no such thing as first class righteousness or economy class. The righteousness that God gave to us is the same you will have when we meet Jesus. It doesn’t change.

The problem believers are having is that they simply don’t accept this fact. But remember the Bible says the just shall live by faith. Our journey as believers starts from heaven and not from earth. The way God functions is that He first tells you what is available to you and releases you to this earth to manifest what you saw. The challenge with most of us is that when we look at some mistakes and some mess you are in, it doesn’t agree with the fact that you are righteous. No! You don’t use your state to judge your standing but use your standing to judge your state. And when you do, what happens is that your state falls off because your standing is eternal. It is of divine origin. It is from God and cannot fail. God has faith in what He has done inside you.

The other day Peter denied the Lord for he thought it was finished; ministry over. He did the same thing that Judas did but the only difference was that Peter did not kill himself he waited for Jesus to die for him while Judas died because he wanted to pay for his mistakes. Child of God, self-effort will only kill you.

Further Reading: Romans 5:17-21,

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Psalms 74-76; Evening- Romans 9:16-33

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: Jehovah Nissi — Wednesday 9, August 2017.

Memorise: Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me. – Psalm 35:1

Read: Exodus 17:8-16 (KJV)

8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.

10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

12 But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:

16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

Bible in One Year: 2 Kings 3-4; Ezekiel 22:1-16, Hymn: Sing hymn 4: Through the Love of God Our Saviour

Open Heavens 9th August 2017 Message:

Jehovah Nissi is the third revealed compound Name of God, meaning “The Lord is my Banner”. It was the Name Moses gave the altar he built following Israel’s victory over Amalek in Exodus 17:15. The word “nissi” means banner, standard or flag. A banner is the rallying point for warriors in the time of battle. Moses named the altar “the Lord is my banner” to acknowledge God’s active role in fighting for the nation of Israel, and at the same time, to testify to God’s continued war against the people of Amalek from generation to generation (Exodus 17:16). This altar stood as a witness to the whole world that the God of Israel was behind the victory over the Amalekites. You may recall that this battle with Amalek took place under the upraised hands of Moses, holding the rod of God. Moses therefore named the alter Jehovah Nissi with the consciousness of the role that God played in the battle. Starting from today, the hand of God will be so evident against all your enemies and detractors that you will begin to sing “The Lord is my Banner” in Jesus’ Name.

It is amazing to note that the ordinary rod that Moses used in his years as a shepherd had become the rod of God in today’s Bible reading. This shows that anything we surrender to God or commit into His hands in support of His kingdom is made to pass through an unseen divine transformation over time. I therefore pray that as you submit yourself under the mighty hand of God today, He will transform you and your natural gifts into supernatural objects and vessels of honour to achieve great and mighty things for His Name in Jesus’ Name. It is important to note that Amalek came out of the blues and decided to wage war against Israel without any provocation. This provoked the anger of God against them, so much so that He promised to completely wipe out the memory of Amalek from the face of the earth (Exodus 17:14). Therefore, I decree by the word of the Lord that Jehovah Nissi will raise His standard against anyone who is angry with you and plotting evil against you without cause, or fighting against you without any provocation, and they will be completely destroyed in the mighty Name of Jesus. The story in our Bible reading is more like a blueprint of how God’s children should deal with anyone or anything that is identified as an enemy of God’s kingdom. The strategic tools deployed here include fervent prayers, knowledge of God’s word, the advocacy of Jesus, the rod of divine judgement, and believers’ unity. We should learn to deploy these tools to spur Jehovah Nissi into action against the enemy on our behalf.

Prayer Point: Jehovah Nissi, please fight every enemy that is stirred up against the advancement of Your Kingdom in every corner of the world.

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.

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: Limited Power [08/08/2017]

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: Hebrews 9:27. Read: Rev 20:11-15

It is important to know that God Almighty the possessor of the heavens and the earth does not only have unlimited power over the spirit realm but also over the physical world. God controls all things in His omnipotent power. For instance, when King Nebuchadnezzar tried to take God’s glory upon himself, hear what God said him, “Until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will”. Dan. 4:32. But because of God’s undiluted love for us, He decided to allow us to take decisions and make choices for our lives here on earth. He gave us will-power which He doesn’t usurp. God has given us power to take decisions and to do whatever we want to do. But only the wise utilise this will-power to please God the giver.

Please know that, no matter the power you control here on earth, it is limited to this world, the very day a man draws the curtain, such power to make choices ends. The anchor scripture says, once we die, you and I would have to stand before the Judge of all – Jesus to face judgement because He is unlimited in power. His judgement is going to be based on your work and my decisions on earth. So, note this, a man of wisdom makes his choice carefully and most importantly, he/she chooses to surrender his/her life to Jesus – the last day Judge so they could be discharged and acquitted.

#BiblePromisesThought

* Only the wise surrenders their limited power (through salvation) to Jesus to gain the unlimited power of God. Are you wise?

Topic: Unity in Scripture — Tuesday August 8, 2017

. . . holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. — 2 Peter 1:21

Although one can derive inspiration from any portion of the Scripture, it is better to have an understanding of the general structure of the Bible to get the most out of it. The Old Testament is an account of a nation, Israel. Out of that nation came Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. The New Testament is an account of a Man, the Son of man, the Savior. God Himself became a man, so that we might know what He is like. His appearance on the earth was the central, most important event of history.

The Old Testament gives the background for this event; the New Testament tells the story of its fulfillment. You will find a unity of thought and purpose which indicates that one mind inspired the writing of the whole.

Prayer for the day: Inspire me, Lord God, as I read the Bible so that I may be able to understand more clearly Your divine teachings.

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: Available to All— Tuesday August 8, 2017

Read: Mark 10:42–52, Bible in a Year: Psalms 74–76; Romans 9:16–33

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

In today’s celebrity-obsessed culture, it isn’t surprising that entrepreneurs are marketing “celebrities as products . . . allowing them to sell their personal time and attention.” Vauhini Vara’s article in The New Yorker noted that for $15,000, you can have a personal meeting with singer Shakira, while $12,000 will give you and eleven guests lunch with celebrity chef Michael Chiarello at his estate.

Many people treated Jesus like a celebrity as they followed Him from place to place, listened to His teaching, observed His miracles, and sought healing from His touch. Yet Jesus was never self-important or aloof, but available to all. When His followers James and John were privately jockeying for position in His coming kingdom, Jesus reminded all His disciples, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mark 10:43–44).

Soon after Jesus said this, He stopped a procession of people following Him to ask a blind beggar, “What do you want me to do for you?” (v. 51) “Rabbi, I want to see,” the man replied. He received his sight immediately and followed Jesus (v. 52).

Our Lord “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (v. 45). May we, like Him, be compassionate and available to others today.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we honor You as the Son of God and Lord of glory who died for all. Help us to demonstrate Your love to others today.

Follow Jesus’s example: Reach out to others in need.

Insight:

The fact that Jesus was so completely accessible was the cause behind some of the heaviest criticism He received. He surprised people by receiving children (Luke 18:16) and shocked the religionists of His day by being available to the marginalized, the outsiders, and the despised (Mark 2:13–17). This accessibility earned Jesus a title He did not reject—a friend of sinners (Matt. 11:19).

Who are the outsiders of our day? How can we exhibit His heart of welcome by accepting others into our communities? Bill Crowder

This message was written By David C. McCasland [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: When Frustration Sets In. Pt Three [07/08/2017]

But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all. Mark 14:31. Read: Mk 14:27-31

 Frustration is a destroyer of destiny when allowed to enter into one’s life. There are high rates of suicide or suicidal attempts today because of frustration, discouragement or disappointment. The Bible warns,  “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes”. Psalm 118:9. To avoid disappointment and discouragement from men, you can only trust God to trust them. Don’t put your trust in man but God. Man is limited but God is unlimited.

Let’s look at Peter again. Just the other day, Jesus said to Peter, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. Lk 5:10. This made Peter left his fishing business. Peter had so much built his confidence on what Jesus told him that even when Jesus said to them, all of you shall desert me, Peter told Him, I will die with you. Even if others should flee, I will not. But when Jesus was arrested at the garden of Gethsemane, though Peter was following from afar while the other disciples took to their heels, Peter was a bit disappointed in Jesus that he couldn’t rescue Himself. His total disappointment sets in when Jesus died on the cross. Within him, he said, Jesus has disappointed me, He made me to abandon my profession. Well since He has gone with fulfilling His promise, boys, I go fishing, and they all said, we go with you. Jn 21:1-3. But when Jesus came, He restored him and commissioned him. You need the reassurance of Jesus over that frustration.

#BiblePromisesPrayer

* Jesus, I believe what you’ve said to me, but frustration is setting in, come and reassure me and strengthen me in your Name. Amen

You are watching the LIVE broadcast service of the 65th Annual Convention of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) tagged “HALLELUYAH”.

Ministering at the Convention is the RCCG General Overseer, Pastor E.A. Adeboye with other anointed ministers of God.