Traveling is very exciting and interesting. There is so much to explore and see especially when you travel Nigeria. It is possible while traveling to lose your valuables like wallet, travel documents and mobile phones among others. A very good example is the talented filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan who forgot his bag containing his valuables in a Uber car in Paris France. Fortunately, he found it. You do not want to be in such situation because you may be unable to get it back. In line with this, Jumia Travel shares some hacks to ensure that you do not lose your valuables when you travel.

Always be aware of your surroundings

When traveling, you are likely to get carried away by the picturesque environment. As a result, you may just forget your valuables. So, ensure that you are aware of your environment so that you won’t remember later that you do not have your belongings on you.

Keep your belongings in sight

Like they say, out of sight is out of mind. Hence, always keep your belongings in sight especially if it is a backpack. Always look out for it every minute to ensure that is still on you. This is not difficult to do.

Utilise luggage locks and safes

The space for locks and safes are not for jokes. So, make sure that you take advantage of it and lock your luggage. This will deter anyone who wants to attempt to steal.

By Adeniyi Ogunfowoke
PR Associate at Jumia Travel
+2348090747241

Topic: There is Power in Relationship [Wednesday July 12, 2017]

“So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” – Romans 12:5

If only we can understand the power in relationship and not allow the enemy divide our strength and make us dissipate our energy and fireworks, we will go very far. See your life as a life that God wants to use to put smile on somebody’s face. Come to church not with the mindset of what can I get, but to join forces with God to fulfill his purpose. The truth is that when you begin to live that way, there is no level of blessing that you cannot attain because God will ensure that you are blessed in every area of your life.

When we talk about what you can give, it is not only about money. It could be a smile, a handshake, a pat in the back or a compliment. “You look very nice in this dress of yours. You look beautiful. I look forward to seeing you and I am glad to see you” Just that will lift up somebody’s faith or bring about healing. Simply saying: “I have not seen you for the past one week, where have you been”? Will make people know that someone is looking out for them.

Relationship is the whole essence of Christianity. He gave some Apostles, some Evangelists, some Prophets, some Pastors, some Teachers, for the maturing of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come to the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man and of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That we hence forth be no more children fighting over akara or seat. Who is promoted or not. Who is complimented or not. Who is sitting in the front seat or not. No more children, tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine…. but speaking the truth in love. In other words, if you hurt me, you hurt yourself. I am not planning for you to fall into my trap.

Further Reading: Ephesians 4:1-16

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Psalms 4-6; Evening- Acts 17:16-34

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: God of Equity [Wednesday July 12, 2017]

Text: Ezekiel 18:1-18

Key Verse: “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).

Our cogitation today brings us to a stern warning from the Lord to the children of Israel to stop the usage of a particular proverb. God considered it as gross injustice to punish the son for the fault of the father, who is unjust, unrighteous and idolatrous while the son lives righteously, keeping the statutes, commandments and judgments of the Lord. In the old economy, an individual belonged to the nation or the family and was related to God only as a member of a larger whole. Now, he has to deal with God directly.

Therefore, each man is responsible for his own acts. The ideal relation with God must be one in which the destiny of every man depends on his own free actions. Each Israelite stands isolated before God, the burden of hereditary guilt falls away from him and he is free to determine his own relationship with God. As prophesied severally by Jeremiah and Ezekiel (Jeremiah 31:29,30; Ezekiel 18:2). The new Israel must be organised on the basis of personal religion. The call to repentance, which is the keynote of Ezekiel’s ministry, is addressed to individual men. It affirms the absolute righteousness of God’s dealings and His readiness to welcome and pardon the individual who is penitent. Every man stands as an individual entity before God, who would not allow the righteous to be unfairly treated just because of someone else’s sin in a previous generation.

True believers need not fear or be cowed by the threats of the enemy; neither should they be incapacitated by the common opinion about generational curses. We have been redeemed completely from them. God is still the same and His words are dependable. You can rise up in the strength of the Lord to silence every contrary voice, statements and situations negating the plans and purposes of God in your life, family and ministry.

Thought for the day: God is righteous in all His judgment.

Bible Reading in one Year: Genesis 35-37

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: Be Skillful [Wednesday July 12, 2017]

The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. – Psalm 34:10

Did you know that, according to the Word of God, there is no lack in the Body of Christ? Everything we could ever need, every problem we could ever face has been covered by the blood of Jesus. His exceeding great and precious promises have supplied it all.

Why then do many of us keep on suffering lack? Because we haven’t, as Hebrews 5:13 says, become skillful in the Word of righteousness.

It takes skill to apply the Word of God. Most of us don’t realize that. We just sling the Word around and try to use it any old way. We pray some ignorant prayer and then say, “Oh well, God knows what I mean” and expect it to be answered.

It’s funny though. We’d never stand for that kind of carelessness in the natural realm. If our doctor came in and just threw a bottle of pills at us and said, “Here, take that,” without even trying to find out what’s wrong with us, we’d leave his office and never come back. Yet, we’re shocked when that same careless attitude in the spiritual realm keeps our prayers from being effective.

We live in an “instant” society where everything is quick and easy. And too many of us are letting that instant mentality leak over into our walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. When someone needs healing, we bust through the hospital door, dab a little oil between their eyes and say, “Glory to God!” and out the door we go. Sometimes it doesn’t take any longer than “In the Name of Jesus be healed!” But sometimes there is something else that must be done.

The time has come for us to shake off that “instant” mentality and realize that there are situations where we’re going to have to take some time and pray in the Holy Ghost. Times when we’re going to have to sit there and listen for God’s instructions.

If you’ve come up short in any area of life—whether it be healing or finances or anything else—determine to develop your Word skills where that area is concerned. Get out your Bible. Read all through the healing scriptures. Read all through the miracle scriptures. Read all through the promises of God. Read all through the blessings of Abraham.

Meditate on them. Ask God to speak to you through them and to enlighten you about the situation you’re facing. Don’t just sling the Word around. Dig in to it. Fellowship with your Father over it. Let Him show you how to apply it skillfully, and eventually, you’ll lack no good thing.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 23

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: Approaching God [Wednesday July 12, 2017]

Read: Hebrews 4:14–16, Bible in a Year: Psalms 4–6; Acts 17:16–34

But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge. Psalm 73:28

A woman desiring to pray grabbed an empty chair and knelt before it. In tears, she said, “My dear heavenly Father, please sit down here; you and I need to talk!” Then, looking directly at the vacant chair, she prayed. She demonstrated confidence in approaching the Lord; she imagined He was sitting on the chair and believed He was listening to her petition.

A time with God is an important moment when we engage the Almighty. God comes near to us as we draw near to Him in a mutual involvement (James 4:8). He has assured us, “I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20). Our heavenly Father is always waiting for us to come to Him, always ready to listen to us.

God is everywhere, is available every time, and listens always.

There are times when we struggle to pray because we feel tired, sleepy, sick, and weak. But Jesus sympathizes with us when we are weak or face temptations (Heb. 4:15). Therefore we can “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (v. 16).

Prayer: Lord, thank You that I can pray to You in all places at all times. Put the desire to come near to You in my heart. I want to learn to come to You in faith and in confidence.

God is everywhere, is available every time, and listens always.

Insight:

How different is our relationship to God from that of Old Testament Israel! At Sinai, the people trembled at God’s presence and were afraid to be near Him (Ex. 19:16). Israel followed this pattern throughout their relationship with their covenant God, requiring the people to go to Him through human priests who stood as intermediaries between God and the people. All of that changed through Jesus. He came to make it possible for us to come directly to God (John 14:6), giving us access to God through our faith in Him (Rom. 5:1–2). Through Jesus we become children of God who now have a family relationship with the perfect Father (John 1:12). And, to strengthen this relationship, Jesus now acts as our High Priest (Heb. 2:17; 4:15; 7:25), interceding and mediating on our behalf (1 Tim. 2:5). Based on our new standing as children of God, and resting in Jesus’s perfect intercession, we can boldly approach the Creator of the universe—and call Him Father!

Spend some time reflecting on these encouraging Scriptures, and then thank the Father that, through Jesus, He has made a way for us to come directly to Him with the needs and joys of our lives. Bill Crowder

This message was written By Lawrence Darmani [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: The Restoring Shepherd [Wednesday 12, July 2017]

Memorise: He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. – Psalm 23:3

Read: Psalm 23:1-3 (KJV)

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Bible in One Year: 1 Samuel 29-31, Ezekiel 6:8-7:4, Hymn: Sing hymn 6

MESSAGE:

For the sheep of the Great Shepherd, the infallible word of God in Psalm 23:3 guarantees restoration of that which is lost. Sometimes, God allows his chosen ones to experience a loss so that they can have the opportunity of experiencing Him as the Great restorer. Be assured in your heart therefore that if you experience a loss that you did not cause by an act of carelessness or disobedience, you can obtain restoration. However, if you fail to ask for restoration, you may not experience it. In Joel 2:23-26, God promise to restore all categories of losses. Every good thing that you have lost shall be restored to you as you hold the Lord to His word, in Jesus’ Name.

Moreover, not only does the Great Shepherd restore physical and material losses to His sheep, He also restores them spiritually. Speaking of spiritual restoration, virtually all believers need this in some measure. In His letter to the Church at Ephesus, the Lord Jesus Christ told the brethren that they had left their first love. In other word, they needed spiritual restoration so that they could embrace the good things they did before, which they had abandoned. Revelation 2:5 says,

“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

For many of us, the zeal, love and fire with which we served God when we first became saved have since ebbed. Our commitment, dedication and consecration are no longer the same. In those days, we made some vows to God such as “No Bible, no breakfast”, but are we still true to those pledges? We promised to win the world to Christ, saying that no day would pass without us winning a soul into God’s Kingdom. How true is that today? Some of us are even so shy or afraid of speaking about Jesus at God-given opportunities. We prefer to read books, surf the internet, or visit social media site than to preach in the buses or cabs like we used to. We sure need spiritual restoration! To be restored, you need to recall how committed you were in times past, repent of your lukewarmness and pick up from where you stopped. Go back to consecration and holiness! Go back to reaching out to the lost on a daily basis! Do you know that no day should pass without you prospecting for sinners to be saved into God’s kingdom? Ask God to restore you today!

Key Point: words like consecration, sanctification and dedication which were common place in Christianity of old are now almost completely out of our vocabulary today.

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.

Today’s Scripture: “…’Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.” – (Zechariah 4:6, NASB)

Topic: How Will You Accomplish Your Dreams? [Tuesday July 11, 2017]

Are you facing a situation that seems impossible? Have you been fighting a battle for a long time? The key is: don’t go around talking about how big the problem is. Don’t go around confessing that you’re never going to make it. No, start declaring, “The gracious hand of God is upon my life!” When you realize God’s hand of favor is upon you, you will accomplish your dreams faster than you thought!

When those thoughts of doubt come, declare the truth of God’s Word! “How are you going to get out of debt?” “The gracious hand of God is upon my life.” “How are you going to get well?” “The gracious hand of God is upon my life.” “How are you going to break that addiction?” “The gracious hand of God.” “How are you going to accomplish your dreams?” “The gracious hand of God!”

The more you brag on God’s favor, the more you declare and believe His promises, the more you’ll see His favor. As you keep standing in faith, as You keep hoping in Him, you’ll see His promises manifest in your life. You’ll experience His favor and victory and see every dream and desire come to pass!

A Prayer for Today: “Father God, thank You for placing Your dreams and desires within me and for creating a plan to bring them to pass. Even when I can’t see a way, I trust that You are making a way. You are good, and today I declare that Your gracious hand is upon every area of my life in Jesus’ name! Amen.”

Have the utmost respect for it. Anyone you are not married to should have ZERO access to your body. Forget about what the world says; your focus should be on what God says. Too many single ladies and gentlemen who are indeed born again are caught in the web of sexual immorality. It’s becoming too normal. Why two people who call themselves “boyfriend” and “girlfriend”, who have not entered into the covenant of marriage, should be having sex does not make sense at all. If you are in a relationship with someone who is pressuring you to prove your love through sex, run for your life!

If you have engaged in sexual intimacy before, please make a U-turn. Go to God and ask Him for forgiveness. He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse from unrighteousness. Once you receive His forgiveness, get rid of any relationship(s) that may be drawing you back and causing you to stumble. If you haven’t had sexual intimacy, Run from sexual sin. No other sin clearly affects the body as this one does. Sexual immorality is a sin against your own body (1 Corinthians 6:18). Come on now! No human being is worth that. Don’t let anybody deceive you. Stop blending in with the crowd. People may call you old fashioned and uptight, trust me, you’ll get over it! The Bible is not old fashioned, no matter what is in vogue and no matter who says differently.

The foundation of God still stands sure; anyone who names the name of the Lord MUST consciously depart from sin. The fact that this person or that person is doing it, will never make it right. People may applaud and even follow them but if God is not applauding, they’re in trouble. Strive to be an individual with a difference. If you’re dating, strive to be a couple with a difference. Focus on building a solid emotional, intellectual and spiritual relationship. Remove yourself from situations that will cause you to stumble and fall. Remember that as a Christian, you have been bought with a high price so use your body to glorify God.

Keep your most sacred parts to yourself until the dotted lines have been signed! Sex is a very important part of marriage but should be engaged in marriage alone. Don’t let anyone or anything tarnish your Christian testimony.

You must have Christ in your life to be able to keep your body and say NO to sin. This simply means that you must be born again and you can only do so by having a personal relationship with Him. You can do this by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. That way, you will be saved. If you are ready to be saved, please say this prayer: “Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. I can’t help myself. Forgive me of my sins. From today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me. Now, I know I am born again.”

Congratulations! I am so excited for you and look forward to your testimonies. Till I come your way next time, please call or write to share your testimonies with me through [email protected] and [email protected], Tel: 08141320204; 07026385437.

For more insight, these books authored by Pastor Faith Oyedepo are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian Bookstores: Single with a Difference, Building a Successful Family, Making Marriage Work and Marriage Covenant.

Remain ever blessed!

Kemi Oyedepo

Topic: “In” But Not “Of” [Tuesday July 11, 2017]

I have given and delivered to them Your word (message) and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world [do not belong to the world], just as I am not of the world.  — John 17:14

The verse for today teaches us that as believers we are in the world but not of the world, which means that we cannot take a worldly view of things. Not becoming like the world in our ways and attitudes requires constant vigilance. Watching too much graphic violence in the form of entertainment, as happens in the world, can sear or harden our consciences and reduce our sensitivity to God’s voice. Many people in the world today are desensitized to the agonies real people suffer because they see tragedies portrayed so often on television.

The news media frequently delivers negative reports or tragic stories in unemotional, matter-of-fact ways and we often see and hear these things without feeling. We hear of so many terrible things that we no longer respond to it with the appropriate emotions of compassion or outrage we should display.

I believe these things are part of Satan’s overall plan for the world. He wants us to become hard-hearted and unengaged emotionally when we become aware of horrible events that take place around us. He does not want us to care about those affected by such things. But, as Christians, we should care, we should feel, and we should pray. Whenever we hear about what is happening in the world, we should ask God for His perspective and inquire as to how He wants us to respond. We then need to listen for His response and act accordingly. This is one way we can be in the world but not of the world.

God’s word for you today: Take a stand for godly values and never compromise.

Topic: Remain ever grateful [Tuesday July 11, 2017]

Remain ever grateful, life is a privilege not a right.

Gratitude, gratitude and gratitude…then altitude, altitude and altitude.

You’ll never drop in altitude unless you drop in gratitude.

Grateful people are never ambitious or contentious. Because they realized that they didn’t struggle to arrive where they are and will never have to climb up the next level by themselves.

Gratitude teaches contentment which cheaply qualifies you for next lifting.

Gratitude destroys pride, gratitude is the key to continuous supply of grace.

You cannot stop gaining ultitude unless you stop expressing gratitude.