Topic: Make It Happen! [Wednesday July 5, 2017]

Scripture: And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested. 1 Chronicles 4:10

Thought For The Day: What you do not resist will persist.

Change, like every other phenomenon, is brought about by a force. Nothing changes on its own. Every change experienced in life is powered by a force. Situations change when people decide to enforce a change.

That is why Jabez, from our anchor Scripture, did not sit down and wait for things to change in his life. His life and situation could not have changed if he did nothing about it.

I once heard God’s servant, Bishop David Oyedepo say, ‘What you don’t want, you don’t watch.’ I can imagine Jabez say, ‘I don’t want this miserable life and I will not continue to watch it. I want the situations of my life to change so I have to go to God and place a demand for a drastic change.’

Please note this: what you do not resist will persist; whatever you do not resist will remain.

What Jabez did was what Jacob also decided to do. When Jacob saw the situation of his life, he decided to pray about it. He also decided to fight it out (Genesis 32:24).

Beloved, you need a fighter spirit to change your destiny. Destiny changes when responsibility is accepted. When you make up your mind for change to occur, when you make up your mind to pray it through, then the change must occur.

Remember this: What you do not resist will persist.

Assignment(s):

1. Accept the responsibility of effecting changes in the relevant area of your life.

2. Take your burdens to the Lord in prayer.

3. Never quit the fight for your fulfilment in life and destiny until change is experienced.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: THE PRAYER OF JABEZ 1

Prayer: LORD, I cast my cares upon You. I refuse to be established in the status quo. LORD, cause things to turn around in my favour, in Jesus’ Name.

Quote: The reason why it bothers you is because you have been packaged to handle it! Culled from GO IN THIS THY MIGHT by Dr Paul Enenche.

Daily Reading: 1 Chronicles 1:1 to 2:17, Acts 23:11 to 35, Psalm 3:1 to 8, Proverbs 18:14 to 15

Amazing Fact: Babies are born without knee caps; they don’t appear until the child reaches 2-6 years of age.

Today In History: 05/07/1975 – Arthur Ashe became the first black man to win the Wimbledon singles title.

Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), is a powerfully anointed church, headquartered at Abuja, Nigeria, with Dr Paul and Dr Becky Enenche, as the Senior Pastors. It is a power-packed arena where God’s Presence, Principles and Power are at work for the salvation, healing and restoration of human destinies and dignities.

Topic: Do Not Reject the Word of God [Wednesday July 5, 2017]

“… Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” 1 Samuel 15:23

As a believer you are a king and a priest. That is what God has made you. God intends for you to stand out and be unique. But when you disobey God, you will no more rule in that place. Princes are walking bare footed while fools are riding on horseback. Is it not time to tell them to come down? When you walk against what God is saying, you are rebelling or refusing allegiance to your God.

Rebellion is a show of resistance or protesting strongly that you don’t want to do what he told you. You are saying you are not going to do it and you are doing it passionately.

King Saul fell because of rebellion and his kingdom did not continue. He ended up going to witches because God stopped speaking to him. God said to Saul: I made you ruler. I made things to fall at your feet. But because you have disobeyed me, you can no longer rule. My heart bleeds because there are so many opportunities around us. So many prophesies hanging over us but many are just walking in foolishness.

The Lord is saying, son, give me your heart and let me direct your ways. It is a heart issue and not just the mouth. He says, give me your heart and your eyes will observe my way. There are ways to do it. The reason you cannot see it is because you have given your heart to somebody. Don’t you understand that the devil is also contending for your heart? Because out of the heart comes the issues of life. The devil is contending for your heart just as God. Whoever has your heart controls you and everything around you. When you give God your heart you will begin to experience more victories around you.

Further Reading: Psalm 19:7-11, Proverbs 4:20-27

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Job 30-31; Evening- Acts 13:26-52

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: Could I Say That? [Wednesday July 5, 2017]

Read: Genesis 45:1–11, Bible in a Year: Job 30–31; Acts 13:26–52

It was not you who sent me here, but God. Genesis 45:8

“The perception of favoritism is one of the biggest factors in sibling rivalry,” said Dr. Barbara Howard, a developmental behavioral pediatrician (“When Parents Have a Favorite Child” nytimes.com). An example would be the Old Testament character Joseph, who was his father’s favorite son, which made his older brothers furious (Gen. 37:3–4). So they sold Joseph to merchants traveling to Egypt and made it appear that a wild animal had killed him (37:12–36). His dreams had been shattered and his future appeared hopeless.

Yet, along Joseph’s journey of life, he chose to be true to his God and rely on Him even when it seemed to make his situation worse. After being falsely accused by his employer’s wife and imprisoned for something he didn’t do, Joseph struggled with the injustice of his situation but kept trusting the Lord.

In the darkest hours of life, only through the eyes of faith can we see the loving hand of God.

Years later his brothers came to Egypt to buy grain during a famine and were terrified to discover that their despised younger brother was now the Prime Minister. But Joseph told them, “Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you . . . . It was not you who sent me here, but God” (45:5, 8).

Joseph’s kind words cause me to wonder if I would be ready for revenge. Or would I be gracious because my heart had confidence in the Lord?

Prayer: Dear Father, give us the faith to trust You today and the ability to see Your hand of good along our road of life.

In the darkest hours of life, only through the eyes of faith can we see the loving hand of God.

Insight:

We struggle with the pain others cause us. Why is it so hard to let go of these wounds? How can the example of Jesus, who was wounded for us, help us to find a healthier way to deal with our hurts?

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

Topic: Virtues in a Holy Vessel [Wednesday July 5, 2017]

Text: 2 Kings 13:10-25

Key Verse: “And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived” (2 Kings 13:21).

When God picks a man, He honours and dignifies him with His power and spiritual gifts. He equips him to accomplish great tasks for Him. This was the case with Elisha. Armed with a double portion of Elijah’s anointing, Elisha served a crucial role in the socio-political and spiritual history of Israel in his days. He was God’s spokesman to kings and the people.

He was a source of joy to the barren and a terror to Israel’s enemies. The power of God upon Elisha made the king of Israel to humble himself before him. He was a holy vessel whom the Lord used and honoured greatly. The anointing of the LORD defied bodily frailty in Elisha. He, upon his death bed, was able to prophesy the victory of Israel over the Syrians. His prophetic precision that Israel would defeat Syria only three times because the king of Israel ignorantly smote the ground thrice, came to pass. Also, his bones made a dead man to come alive.

This is the only case in which a person’s dead bones performed such a miracle of resurrection in the scriptures; it is a classic instance of God honouring a man, even after his death. Elisha’s amazing anointing points us to some blessings we can abundantly receive through salvation in Christ. We can be keen lovers or seekers of all the Lord could give and remain yielded, humble and steadfast under the teaching and mentorship of real ministers of God. If we consecrate ourselves, we can become sanctified vessels unto honour for God’s use. We must possess unwavering faith and see God’s greatness, instead of the world’s impossibilities. Like Elisha, we should become God’s ambassadors and speak His words fearlessly to all. And finally, God expects us to remain prayerful and faithful till the end.

Thought for the day: There is no limit to what God can do with a holy vessel.

Bible Reading in one Year: Genesis 14-16

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: Limited to Sweet Experiences? [Wednesday 5, July 2017]

Memorise: And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. – 2 Corinthians 1:7

Read: Deuteronomy 8:2-7, Hebrew 2:9-10 (KJV)

Deuteronomy 8:2-7:

2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.

5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.

6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.

7 For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;

Hebrew 2:9-10:

9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Bible in One Year: 1 Samuel 15-16, Ezekiel 1:1-21, Hymn: Sing hymn 14

MESSAGE:
[July 5 2017, Wednesday]
Jesus is the Great Shepherd, and He wants His sheep to eat and drink from that which He provides for them. If you hunger and thirst after righteousness, you will be filled. In order words, you will experience the right growth in the Kingdom when you are receptive, and not selective of what the Master gives. Every good word of God counts in helping you grow to become like Jesus. In the Church of God today, under the guise of “grace” or “liberty” found in the New Testament, a lot of funny things are happening. Some people choose to read only the New Testament and call the Old Testament stale or outdated. Some others choose to read only specific portions of the Bible that speak of blessings, while they never go to the portion on sacrifice and curses. Some people never want to see passages on tithes and offering and other forms of giving, believing that offerings do not go to God but to men. Some of such people prefer to donate their tithes to the poor and needy, rather than to pay it as tithes in their church. Such tendencies will definitely affect their growth and hinder them from enjoying God’s full blessings. Open Heavens 5 July 2017: Wednesday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye – Limited to Sweet Experiences?
“29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” – Mark 10:29-30

From the above scripture, we see that the Lord Jesus Christ did not promise us a life free of hardship. Anyone who goes through life experiencing only pleasure, abundance and happiness without any moment of sorrow, sadness, denial, lack or disappointment will not develop a strong, well balanced character. Such a person will be vain, will lack compassion for others, and be conceited. God allows us to go through both the ups and downs of life so that we can truly fit into His plan for us. A one-sided spiritual diet leads to uneven spiritual growth. Romans 5:3 says that tribulations help us develop patience. Hebrews 2:10 tells us that our Lord Jesus Christ himself was made perfect through sufferings. How can you then become perfect without undergoing hardship? 1 Peter 4:13 says that when we partake of Christ’s sufferings, we shall also partake of His glory that shall be revealed. Don’t let anyone deceive you; you need to take in every truth of God’s word in order to become who you were created to be.

Key Point: God allows His children to go through difficulties in order to develop their character.

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: The wisdom of action (part 1) [Tuesday July 4, 2017]

Faith is the key to daily victories and the process of faith expression begins with what you see. As you see it you begin to think it and as you think deeper and deeper you naturally become stronger in your utterance.

There is a connection between your eyes, your mind, your mouth, and your feet. When your eyes see it, your mind will think it and them your mouth will begin to speak it. And you know, your utterances have the power to terminate stagnation. You can never be stagnated while speaking. People who speak will always end up at the peak because they are always on the move. It is what you say that supplies speed, strength and motion to your feet. So, your utterance is the fuel to your feet. But beyond that, you must begin to take steps. So, the fourth expression of faith is action. And action means taking steps contrary to your physical situations or circumstances. The devil is a coward, he keeps telling you from afar off, “Don’t take that step, don’t write that exam, you will fail!” But nothing threatens him like your action. So, if you have been planning, talking and thinking of starting a business, go and start! If satan tells you, “Don’t start that business, you will fail”, start first and let it fail. If it fails the first time, rise up and start again. Those who fear will fall, but those who act will stand.

Action is God’s wisdom for the final possession of your inheritance. The woman with the issue of blood got her miracle just by action. After she heard of Jesus, she said in her heart, “If I may but touch the helm of his garment, I shall be made whole.” And as she said that, she began to take steps. Despite her weakness, she pressed through the crowd and touched the hem of His garment and Jesus said to her, “Be it unto you according to your faith.”

Continue from part 2 tomorrow

Topic: Confrontation Can Be Loving [Tuesday July 4, 2017]

If your brother wrongs you, go and show him his fault, between you and him privately. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. — Matthew 18:15

When Dave and I got married, I was a nightmare to get along with. I just wanted to stay in control because I thought that was the only way I could keep from being hurt. Plus I have a pretty aggressive personality to begin with, so that combined with a lot of dysfunction in my background did not make me a very nice woman.

Dave, on the other hand, is a real peace-lover and very easy to get along with. For a lot of years, he went about being happy and didn’t really say too much to me while I acted badly. I believe God gave him extra patience with me because He knew the hurt I had in my life. Sometimes God calls us to put up with some things for a while, while we are praying and waiting on Him. To be honest, if Dave had confronted me in the first month we were married I would have just left him because I didn’t know any better. So there was a purpose in God not asking him to confront me right away. But you need to confront when God tells you to.

After a few years, God showed Dave it was time to confront me. Dave explained to me, “God has dealt with me that I can no longer let you get by with talking to me the way you do and acting the way you do. You’re not going to get everything your way, and things must change.” And they did. It took time, but little by little, I changed.

I was very angry when Dave confronted me. But by then I was loved by Jesus enough and I knew enough of His Word to know that Dave was right—I knew that my behavior was wrong—but if he would have never confronted me, even though I knew that it was wrong, I don’t know if I would have ever changed. So sometimes you are not doing somebody else a favor by not confronting them. It was the right thing for Dave to do for me. And even though I didn’t like it and I got mad, Dave was right to listen to God. And we are doing the work we do today because of it.

Trust in Him: Confrontation is usually not easy for the one doing the confronting, or the one being confronted, but it is an important part of spiritual growth. Follow God’s lead and confront when He shows you it is time, and do it in love!

Forgiveness is the one power you always have over the person who hurt you. Lincoln said, “The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.”

Topic: How Heavy Is Your Bag?

(Matthew 18:15-22).

A University teacher told his class students to each bring a clear plastic bag and a sack of potatoes. The lesson was that for every one they refused to forgive, he told them to choose a potatoe, write on it the name and date and put it in the plastic bag. Some of the bags as you can imagine were quite heavy. He then told them to carry this bag with them everywhere for one week, putting it aside their beds at night, on the car seat when driving, etc. The hassle of lugging the bag around made it so clear what a weight they were carrying. Naturally after a while, the condition of the potatoes deteriorated to a foul smell.

The teacher then told the class that it was a clear picture for the price we pay for keeping our pain and carrying every worry done to us in our hearts. According to Dr. Redford Williams, the stress hormone CORTISOL which fuels anger, literally tears blood vessels, causing damage to your arteries. Continous anger against yourself or anyone else, prevents the healing process from taking place! So once the damage is done, a single bout of rage can trigger a fatal heart attack. Forgiveness is the one power you always have over the person who hurt you.

Lincoln said, “The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.” Lewis Smedes wrote: “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” George Herbert told his son: “He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.” Won’t you need forgiveness from God or man someday? Then construct that bridge now! Forgive that betrayal! Forgive that injustice! Forgive that deliberate offence!

Don’t carry a LUGGAGE God has not given you! Let go and let God! No matter how 2017 has been, I prophesy: An enemy will STUMBLE concerning you and you will be mightily announced by your God as an EVIDENCE that He is not partial in Jesus Christ name! Amen! See and use the new page called: “FAITH BOOSTERS.” See Page 34 daily!

Help someone to do the upcoming fast. Give out this ODM edition and “WAH -12” booklet as SPECIAL July gift items for weddings, anniversaries, dedications, birthdays etc to bless a soul. CHILDREN ODM and NEW ODM CARTOON are available nationwide.

Prayer Points: Take yourbest worship song now.

1. Pray about today’s word seriously as led.

2. I refuse every SATANIC LOAD! Cancel all demotion plans fashioned against your life, family and ministry.

3. Lord, show me mercy every second of every day! I release FORGIVENESS to the following (Mention him/her).

4. Pray any other prayer as led. Pray about today seriously! CANCEL DEMOTION again and LOSS OF FAVOUR!

If you need deliveranc, see your Pastor or be at the Manna Mountain this week Sunday 8am (OGUDU) or 10:30am (LEKKI).

By Bishop (Dr) Chris E. Kwakpovwe (Cek)
Publisher/Writer Of Odm And

Rev (Mrs) Flora E. Kwakpovwe (Fek)
Co-Publisher/Writer Of Odm.