Topic: Permanent Peace is Possible [Saturday 8, July 2017]

Memorise: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. – Isaiah 26:3

Read: Matthew 14:22-33 (KJV)

22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

Bible in One Year: 1 Samuel 20-21, Ezekiel 3:16-27, Hymn: Sing hymn 2

MESSAGE:

The Blood of Jesus Christ is a very potent weapon available to us today (Revelation 12:11). The moment you surrender your life to Jesus, victory comes, because the same blood that cleanses from all sins also conquers Satan. However, if the Blood does not first wash away your sins, you will remain a slave to the devil (Colossians 1:14). It is only after the Blood has worked on you through salvation that the same Blood gives you victory over Satan. For 13 years, I was running from witches and wizards, and then I met the Lord Jesus Christ. He saved me, and ever since then, no witch anywhere in the world can come close to me, because I am covered with the Blood of Jesus.

Moreover, apart from the Blood of Jesus that is made available to us after salvation, peace that surpasses human understanding is another benefit that comes in after the door of salvation is opened. In fact, while there is no peace to the wicked, peace like a river is made available to you if you are saved. Jesus, in John 14:27, says to you:

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

The One who comes into your heart the moment you are born again is the Prince of Peace; you therefore must experience peace in all areas of your life if you have received Him. I pray for you that as you receive Jesus into your life today or draw closer to Him, you will experience peace in every area of your life in Jesus’ Name. Have you been troubled? I speak peace from the Prince of Peace into your troubled situation now! Peace that passes all understanding shall locate you today! In addition, that peace that you receive from the Prince of Peace can be retained in your life. Yes, you can have permanent peace. How? Isaiah 26:3 says,

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

If you have Jesus, you have peace. Anytime you make Jesus your focus, your peace is sustained, and if Jesus remains your focus, you will have permanent peace irrespective of the raging storms of life. While Peter focused on Jesus, he could come out of the troubled boat and walk on water towards Jesus, but the moment he shifted his focus to the wind, he began to sink. What has been your focus? Through the peace that Jesus gives, you can now determine the quality of peace you experience and for how long it will last. Set your focus on the Prince of Peace today.

Action Point: Pray for every family that is experiencing storms to encounter the Prince of Peace and receive His peace that is beyond understanding.

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: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me…” – (Acts 1:8, NKJV)

Topic: Receive Power [Friday July 7, 2017]

God wants to empower you. He wants to strengthen you and equip you to rise higher in every area of your life. He wants to see you become all that He has created you to be and walk in victory each and every day.

Scripture tells us that when Jesus left the earth, He told the disciples that He was sending a comforter. He was talking about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not only our comforter, He’s our counselor, teacher and stand by. He searches our hearts and helps us understand scripture.

Today, if you desire to be filled with God’s power, invite the Holy Spirit of God to do a work in you. When you read the Bible, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart and reveal God’s plan to you. As you invite the Holy Spirit to operate in your life, today’s scripture says that you’ll receive God’s power! You will be strengthened and equipped for everything God has in store for you!

A Prayer for Today: “Father, thank You for the Holy Spirit who is my helper in this life. I choose to open my heart to Your Word to receive power so that I can walk and live in the victory You have prepared for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Topic: How To Boost Your Courage (part 2) [Friday July 7, 2017]

Your words are the strength of your life. If you cannot speak then you will remain discouraged and stranded. Never be tired of charging yourself up with the word of God. In the midst of the hottest battle, keep speaking. For your information, the greatest battles of life are first won with words before they are won in the physical. When David stepped out to face Goliath, he first engaged him in a battle of words. Goliath said to David, “I will give your flesh to the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.” David did not keep quiet, he replied immediately and said, “You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts.

This day will the Lord deliver you into my hand and I will kill you, and take your head from you; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines to the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth” (1 Sam 17:44-47). If you check those scriptures you will discover that David spoke much more than Goliath and he also spoke the last word. After that, he ran towards the giant and killed him. So, when satan begins to speak negative words to you, he tells you, “You can never make it again”, reply him immediately with words of faith.  

As you make your boast in the Lord with strong declarations, not only are you strengthened to move forward, the enemy is driven back and God arises to confirm what you say.

Mediate on these: Numbers 14:28, Isaiah 43;26.

Topic: Defeating Unbelief [Friday July 7, 2017]

Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world. — 1 Peter 5:8-9

Sometimes we unintentionally give the wrong impression about spiritual warfare. We know that our enemy is the devil and that we must fight daily to win, but that’s not everything. If the Christian life were nothing but battles, it would be discouraging to fight every hour of every day.

I would feel that I could never relax because as soon as I did, Satan would sneak back again. That’s not the picture I want to present. The Christian life is one of joy and peace. God gives us a great sense of fulfillment, and we’re at rest because we know we honor Him by the way we live.

Peter wrote to Christians about their enemy—warning them and urging them to be vigilant, which is where we often put the emphasis. Just before he wrote those words, however, he said, Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully (v. 7). As we read that verse, it tells us that we must remind ourselves of God’s love for us—God cares. Because God cares, we can trust Him to take care of us.

We need that as part of our foundation. It’s not that we don’t have faith; it’s that Satan tries to destroy our faith with lies like: “If God really cared about you, would He make you go through this trial?” “If God truly loved you, would He treat you this way?”

Those questions that the devil throws at you are full of lies. If he can make you think you’re not loved or that God doesn’t have your best interests at heart, he can plant tiny seeds of unbelief. God wants you to remain strong and true like Abraham and other believers in the Bible.

One of the things I’ve learned from ministering to thousands of people is that the terrible and negative problems striking our lives are not what cause us to turn away from God. No, it’s our reaction to those situations that makes the difference. Think of Abraham again. When God promised to give him a son, he was an old man. He could have said, “How could that possibly be? I’m old and long past being able to father a child.” Instead, he said, “That’s wonderful! I believe.”

When struggles, trials, and hardships come your way—and they always do—you have a choice. You can heed Peter’s words and give God your cares, worries, and concerns. No matter how dark the night or how evil the situation, you must remind yourself that God is not only present with you in those situations, but He also loves you and will provide for you.

Your job is to be vigilant during those difficult times. You can rejoice in God’s love and blessings when all is going well—and that’s what God wants you to do. But in the dark moments, you need to remind yourself that the devil stalks you and wants to defeat you.

One more thing. Sometimes you may wonder why you have so many trials and problems. Is it possible that the devil may have singled you out because of God’s great plan for your life? The more faithful you are, the more you have to resist him and his lies of unbelief.

Dear heavenly Father, the enemy often tries to fill me with unbelief and make me deny Your powerful love for me. But like Abraham, I stand firm on Your promises. Thank You for the comfort I find in Your assurance that You’re always with me. Amen.

Note that a man or woman without decision of character can never be said to belong to himself; he belongs to captive of him” (John TT. Foster).

Topic: The Soccer Legend: Put Order Into Your Life!

(1 Kings 18:30-39).

Welcome! I am led to remind you that years ago, Diego Armendo Maeradona, the then 44 year-old Argentinian ‘god ‘of soccer, made a dramatic move from the pitch to the tube with the first edition of his TV talk show, tagged: “The Night of the Number 10” The show was a tribute to the number 10 shirt he wore while playing for Argentina. Remember that after recovering from his drug problems, Maeadona’s only headache remained his bloated size with grave health implications! So, the former “World Footballer of the year,” opted for stomach surgery-also known as “gastric by-pass” or “stomach stapling,” aimed at reducing his stomach’s capacity to retain food.

In order to keep his health and his shape, a former leading doctor said the soccer legend would have to rely on a liquid diet for three months, “if he’s serious about returning to his normal size/weight.” For the man who is worshipped by a particular church in Argentina, the last statement was a call to discipline! Then the question worldwide at that time was: “Will Maradona be disciplined enough to go without solid food for three months?” Note that a man or woman without decision of character can never be said to belong to himself; he belongs to captive of him” ( John TT. Foster).

God is speaking to to you today about self-discipline! What is it that has gained control over you? Is it unholy anger, fornication, adultery, malice, unforgiveness, gossip, pride, weakness in fasting, your tongue, etc? Note that before fire could fall on the sacrifice of Elijah, 1 Kings 18:33 says: “he put the wood in order and cut the bullock in pieces and laid it on the wood.” Until God sees that your world is in order, He will not send the fire! Lac k of order will stagnate your height in life!

Order stands for dsicipline! Close with Jack Paar: Looking back, my life seems to be one long obstacle course, with me as the Chief Obstacle’. Refuse to be your own obstacle! Refuse to be your own devil!

14-DAY FAST (JULY 9TH –JULY 22ND) again! The theme (emphasis) will be DEALING WITH EVERY DELAY YOKE, DELAY MANUFACTURERE, SATANIC SPEED BREAKER/ROAD BLOCK OR BATTLE EXTENDER! Pray the “WAH-12” page 108 pray now.

Prayer Points: Take Song 2: Stand up for Jesus……….

1. Thank God for today’s word and pray as you are led!

2. Ask for the grace to be disciplined and put order into the following areas of your life (Mention them now…..).

3. O God, take me from every trap of INDISCIPLINE set against my destiny in Jesus Christ name.

4. Holy Ghost, my Master, flush away every disgrace bullet of INDISCIPLINE fired agaist my star.

FOR ODM VIEWING CENTERS FOR JULY ANOINTING SERVICE, SEE PAGE 52 NOW!

By Bishop (Dr) Chris E. Kwakpovwe (Cek)
Publisher/Writer of ODM And

Rev (Mrs) Flora E. Kwakpovwe (Fek)
Co-Publisher/Writer of ODM.