Topic: Taking Shortcuts [Sunday July 2, 2017]

Read: Luke 9:57–62, Bible in a Year: Job 22–24; Acts 11

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

Sipping her tea, Nancy gazed out her friend’s window and sighed. Spring rains and sunshine had coaxed a riotous expanse of color from a well-groomed flowerbed of lilies, phlox, irises, and evening primrose.

“I want that look,” she said wistfully, “without all the work.”

The work of following Christ is difficult, but the reward is a full, joyful life now and forever.

Some shortcuts are fine—even practical. Others short-circuit our spirit and deaden our lives. We want romance without the difficulties and messiness of committing to someone so different from ourselves. We want “greatness” without the risks and failures necessary in the adventure of real life. We desire to please God, but not when it inconveniences us.

Jesus made clear to His followers that there is no shortcut that avoids the hard choice of surrendering our lives to Him. He warned a prospective disciple, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). To follow Christ requires a radical altering of our loyalties.

When we turn in faith to Jesus, the work just begins. But it is oh-so-worth-it, for He also told us that no one who sacrifices “for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age . . . and in the age to come eternal life” (Mark 10:29–30). The work of following Christ is difficult, but He’s given us His Spirit and the reward is a full, joyful life now and forever.

Prayer: Father, I will find the strength to do the work You have for me to do, only as I rely on Your Holy Spirit. Help me, please, to be sensitive to that today.

Most things worth doing are difficult.

Insight:

Although the Holy Spirit is spoken of throughout the Bible, two particular portions of Scripture offer us a wealth of insight about this wonderful Person—John 14–16 and Romans 8. In His Upper Room Discourse with His disciples (John 14–16), Jesus says the Spirit is a gift from the Father who has come to be our Comforter/Advocate (14:16–17). This Helper is also described as the “Spirit of truth” who takes up residence within each of God’s children so that we are never abandoned (vv. 17–18). In John 16, our Lord adds that the Spirit will convict the world and point us to the Savior, while guiding us into truth (vv. 7–14). In Romans 8, Paul reinforces these ideas by saying that the Spirit is the source of our life (vv. 2, 11), the evidence of our new relationship with our Father (vv. 9, 14–16), and One who intercedes for us when we pray so that our prayers line up with the Father’s purposes (vv. 26–27).

In what area of your life do you need the Spirit’s presence and guidance? Bill Crowder

This message was written By Tim Gustafson [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: Greatness of God [Sunday July 2, 2017]

Text: Job 25:1-6

Key Verse: “Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places” (Job 25:2).

One of America’s theologians, while commenting on the holiness of God, said “When we understand the character of God, when we grasp something of His holiness, then we begin to understand the radical character of our sin and hopelessness. Helpless sinners can survive only by God’s mercy.

Our strength is futile in itself; we are spiritually impotent without the assistance of a merciful God.” From the text, Bildad aptly pointed out the infinite distance between God and man, though most of his views were also Job’s opinions about God. Man’s righteousness, at the best, according to him, is nothing in comparison with God’s. From this perception, we must be purged of all filthiness to secure outstanding relationship with God. The text obviously revealed some salient issues. First, unlike Bildad’s previous posture of differing views from Job’s, he surprisingly, this time, spoke no more on issues that put both of them at variance.

Unfortunately today, some Christians love to play antagonistic roles, love to differ from others, just for the sake of being different and not for spiritual reasons. Some brethren even employ tribal sentiments, gossip and backbiting to tear apart godly relationships among brethren. Another salient lesson from Bildad’s speech is that he spoke so well on the matters which he absolutely agreed with Job.

As couples, why not speak the word of love to your spouse? Why not talk about Christ and His work of grace? Why not appreciate your wife or husband with all sincerity of love and kindness? Must you make your family a bedrock of crises? As brethren, must you criticise every brother or sister in your local church? If we would all get our hearts filled with reverential thoughts of God and humble thoughts of ourselves, we will appreciate our spouse and brethren. May God help us to live right.

Thought for the day: True appreciation of God’s greatness begins with genuine repentance.

Bible Reading in one Year: Genesis 4-6

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: Why Your Healing Is Now [Sunday 2, July 2017]

Memorise: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. – John 1:14

Read: Jeremiah 32:26-27 (KJV)

26 Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,

27 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

Bible in One Year: 1 Samuel 10-11, Lamentation 3:37-4:1, Hymn: Sing hymn 5

MESSAGE:
[July 2, Sunday 2017]
In Jeremiah 32:27, God said something very profound:

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”

In this scripture, God introduced Himself as the God of all flesh. Similarly, in Ezekiel 18:4, He said all souls are His; so we can correctly say that God is also the God of all souls. Also, Hebrews 12:9 calls Him the Father of spirits; we can therefore correctly say that He is the God of all spirits. Considering all these, we can confidently say that God is the God of all the spirit, soul and body (the flesh). It therefore means that He knows everything about your spirit, soul and body, and being the Owner of them all, He can work on any part of you. Praise God! Open Heavens 2 July 2017: Sunday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye – Why Your Healing Is Now
As the God of all flesh, God is genuinely interested in whatever happens to your body. John 1:1&14 reveals that the Word was God, and He eventually became flesh. So then, what are the implications of the Lord being the God of all flesh? First, He can change any damaged flesh and make it brand new. A particular brother was taken on a visit to Heaven many years ago, and there he saw a particular store-house with spare human body parts of all types, sizes, colours and shapes. These are not needed in Heaven but meant for people on earth. He said with faith in Jesus Christ, you can pull your required body part(s) from that store into your body. Does any part of your body require replacement? Receive it now in Jesus’ Name! One individual who benefitted from this truth was Naaman. His skin was so damaged and ravaged by leprosy that God had to give him brand new skin (2 Kings 5:1-14). All he had to do was to obey God’s instruction and his skin suddenly became like that of a new born baby. In Jesus’ Name, receive that miracle of a brand new part you need for your body now! The level of destruction experienced in the flesh cannot hinder the God of all flesh from doing His job. Some people look at how certain afflictions or sores have ravaged their bodies, and they conclude that there is no more hope for them. No, don’t give up! Job had an understanding of this when in Job 19:26, he said:

“And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:”

There is a user of this Devotional who is afflicted by a sore that has refused to heal. The God of all flesh says He is doing something about it right now. When you are healed, go and testify to God’s glory. Call on God today, worship Him because he is in charge of all flesh and thereafter ask Him to replace your damaged body with brand new parts.

Prayer Point: Father, you are the God of all flesh, solve every problem I have with my body 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.

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: A New Month Of Rest [01/07/2017]

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. Genesis 2:2. Read: Lev 25:3-5

All glory to God Almighty for ushering us into this seventh month of all-round rest for you and your household. God will give you divine rest on every side from your Labour . All your labour from January till date shall be adequately rewarded and every seed you have sown in tears shall be replaced in this new month with joy unspeakable full of glory. In the creation order, God laboured for six days and rested from all His work on the seventh day. From all your hustling and bustling, you must take time to rest. But many work round the clock, in spite of their great efforts, there is usually nothing to show for it. But I decree  in this new month of rest, your efforts will not be abate. Your little input shall yield abundant harvest. It’s a year and a month of rest and God shall give to you the desired rest in Jesus Mighty Name.

God ended His work and rested. He’s still the God of rest, He desires your rest and He shall give you uncompromising rest day. Rest, the troubles of this world would not be able to take from you shall be your portion. God Almighty shall bless and multiply the works of your hands in Jesus Mighty Name

#BiblePromisesPrayer

* Father, give me divine rest in all my endeavours. Let me know no anxiety again in Jesus Mighty Name. #HappyNewMonth

Topic: You Can Have Daily Victories! (Part 2) [Saturday July 1, 2017]

Continue from part 1

Faith begins with how you see life in the perspective of God’s word. Your perspective determines your outcome in life because possession begins with sight. What you see is your attraction. The picture you see is the future you pursue. I heard the story of a man who lived in a village and one day he saw a picture of Lagos. He was so excited about what he saw in the picture that he began to declare, “I must go to Lagos.” That became his motivation and his drive.

Your future will ultimately end in the picture that you see. So when you see nothing, you move towards nothing. Every adventure of life is initiated by a picture. How do you view life? Do you look around you and conclude, “Well I don’t think I can go beyond where I am now?” Or do you see where you are as a passage to where you are going. You know why many people are poor? They are poor because of their poor perspectives. That is what has reduced them to beggars when they should be givers.

Abraham is known as the Father of faith but his faith began with perspective. God said to him in Genesis 13:14-15, “Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.” It is your vision that sets the pace for your possession. Stop looking at where you are! Lift up your eyes and look away from where you are to where you want to be. Until you can see farther than where you are, you will never go further in life.

– Meditate on these: 2 Cor. 4:18, Jer. 1:11-12

Topic: Do You Like Yourself? [Saturday July 1, 2017]

Let him search for peace…and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!] — 1 Peter 3:11

Have you ever thought about your relationship with yourself? For years, it never occurred to me that I had a relationship with myself. In fact, I never thought about it until God began to teach me how to improve it. Maybe the idea that you have a relationship with yourself has never entered your mind, either. But the truth is, you spend more time with yourself than with anyone else! So getting along well with yourself is vital to your well-being.

Do you like yourself? Many people don’t. Self-rejection and even self-hatred contribute to many of the struggles we have in life. Think about it: Rejecting or holding hatred toward others causes all kinds of problems in relationships with them, so why wouldn’t rejecting or hating or disliking yourself cause the same kind of problems in your relationship with yourself?

Today’s scripture urges us to pursue and go after peaceful relations with God, others, and ourselves. I encourage you to embrace and accept yourself because God created you just the way He wants you to be and made every unique thing about you. He loves you tremendously, so let that truth empower you to not only like yourself, but also to love yourself. As you grow in this way, you’ll notice that some of your problems will decrease and eventually go away.

Love Yourself Today: Make a list of your good qualities. Take a moment to think about how these positive attributes are a blessing to you and to others. Thank God for making so many good things about you!

Topic: Later Is Here! [Saturday July 1, 2017]

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household? – Matthew 24:45

The Word tells us that God shows Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are “perfect” toward Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). That word perfect doesn’t mean that we have to do everything just right and live without making a mistake. Thank God, we don’t have to do that. It means “devoted”—a heart consecrated, dedicated, loyal and faithful to God.

The mistakes we make will not stop God from working in our lives. Only our lack of faithfulness can do that.

Who is faithful? The one who spends his time doing what God has called him to do. Or as Jesus put it, the one who takes up his cross and follows Him. The one who denies his fleshly desires and spends his life on the things God desires him to do.

Maybe God has been urging you to spend more time in His Word and in prayer or dealing with you about ministering more to the people around you. He may be calling you to pray for the sick or to teach the Word. But you’re busy, so you glide on with good intentions and tell God you’ll do it later. Well, later is here!

Decide today that you are going to be the faithful and wise servant. Find out what is stealing your time from the Lord. Serve His interests instead of your own.

Do you want to be a ruler in the household of God? Do you want Him to show Himself strong for you? Then take up Jesus’ thoughts today. Take up His purposes and His plans. Now is the time to be faithful!

Scripture Reading: Matthew 24:42-51

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: Neglect Not The Little, It Is All You Need [Saturday July 1, 2017]

“And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.” – 2 Kings 4:2 (KJV)

A widow came to Elisha and said man of God, have mercy on me. My husband died and left a lot of debt for me. Elisha, did not throw a pity party because of the gravity of the challenge the woman was facing, rather asked “woman what do you have?” Can you imagine that? A woman came crying for help and you are asking her what does she have? Naturally, the woman answered “I have nothing”. Is that not like many believers? You are so overwhelmed with the challenge that what you have in your hand looks like nothing. The prophet said, woman I can’t help you until you show me what you have because God’s word functions by sowing and reaping. She then suddenly remembered that she had only a cruise of oil. Beloved, that little is all you need to jump start the miracle of God in your life.

What you consider little is nothing but a seed. No one knows the power of a seed. Don’t underestimate the gift of God in you. There is no one that is totally useless. There is something you have. There is something you can contribute. There is a gift in you that the world is waiting for. But like the widow, God will do nothing if you cannot see and appreciate the little you have. Don’t go around throwing pity parties. Your challenge is only as big as you make it. You are as important as you see yourself. If you think you are nothing, a nobody, a no-good, there is nothing any one can do about it. But if you see yourself as the extension of God here on earth, if you see yourself as the success that God has made you, then there is absolutely nothing that can stop it. Don’t neglect the little, because God is going to enlarge your coast beyond your wildest imagination.

Further Reading: 2 Kings 4:1-7

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Job 20-21; Evening- Acts 10:24-48

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: Damned By Pride [Saturday July 1, 2017]

Text: 2 Chronicles 26:1-21

Key Verse: “But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense” (2 Chronicles 26:16).

Two women, in Shanghai discussed Hudson Taylor, a radical missionary, who believed that China would never be won for Christ by quiet and ease-loving Christians. The women wondered if he was ever tempted to be prideful of his many accomplishments.

One of them inquired from Taylor’s wife, Maria, who asked her husband if he was ever tempted to be proud. With surprised he asked, “Proud about what?” His wife explained: “About all of the things you have done.” Taylor responded, “I never knew I had done anything.” From our text, Azariah, who was also called Uzziah, did not know how to manage his life. He began to rule together with his father, but he actually became the king after his father’s death. The Scripture gave an in-depth description of his life in 2 Chronicles 26 and revealed that a man called Zechariah, taught him a better understanding of the Lord, This is an indication that at any time, God, out of His mercy and love, will always position people to teach others about

His righteousness. At the inception of his reign, Uzziah pleased God, except that he could not remove the places where the people worshipped false gods. However, when success crept in, he became full of himself. He felt that because he had built tall buildings to protect Jerusalem and achieved much in agriculture, among others, he could downplay God’s principles. He attempted to do the priest’s duty by trying to burn incense in the temple, which was a terrible sin. The priests tried to stop him, but he was unyielding and angry. Immediately, he became afflicted with leprosy and was hurriedly removed from the temple.

For the rest of his life, he lived an isolated life because of the illness. He never entered the temple again. To credit oneself with any recorded feat in life is an open and flagrant repudiation of God’s benevolence and kindness. It is at once an ungodly demonstration of pride and carnality. This was the undoing of Uzziah spiritually, from whom the haughty and the proud, so-called Christian must learn.

Thought for the day: A man’s pride can be his downfall

Bible Reading in one Year: Genesis 1-3

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: In The Days Of His Power [Saturday July 1, 2017]

Scripture: Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, though has the dew of thy youth. Psalm 110:3

Thought For The Day: To stand in holiness is to attract the attention and power of God.

A closer look at events in the world clearly shows that we are in the end of the age. Every sign is indicative of the fact that Jesus is about to come again. Interestingly, the time prior to His second coming is a time for the escalation of power, and that time is already at hand (Psalms 110:1-3).

This implies that the Church worldwide must experience God’s power and glory in dimensions like never before. We are about to maximally humiliate and molest the forces of darkness. Principalities and powers are about to experience the kind of damage they have never experienced since creation.

The days that precede Christ’s second coming are days for the escalation of power – conviction power, life-transforming power, deliverance power, liberation power, judgemental power, etc. Jesus is about to stand, and before He stands up from the throne to commence His journey of second return; His enemies must be made His footstool (Psalms 110:1).

Now, who are the people that are qualified to manifest this power?

1. Those who are desperately willing to manifest His Power (Psalms 110:3): Willing people are carriers of power. Unwilling people can never manifest supernatural power. So, power belongs to men and women whose wills have been united with the Will of God.

2. Those who live in holiness: In Psalms 110:3, the Bible says thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauty of holiness…. So, holiness is attractive (beautiful) as far as the power of God is concerned. The meaning of that is: to stand in holiness is to attract the attention and power of God.

Remember this: To stand in holiness is to attract the attention and power of God.

Assignment (s):

1. Surrender your will to the Will of God

2.Avoid things that can stain your spiritual garment.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: IN THE DAYS OF HIS POWER

Prayer: LORD, I surrender my life to You; let me be useful to You in this end time, LORD in Jesus’ Name.

Quote: You do not maximise your life until you understand the season. Culled from MAKING FULL PROOF OF MINISTRY by Dr Paul Enenche.

Daily Reading: 2 Kings 18:13 to 19:37, Acts 21:1 to 17, Psalm 149:1 to 9, Proverbs 18:8.

Amazing Fact: Butterflies cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86 degrees centigrade.

Today In History: 1/7/1879 – Charles Taze Russell published the first edition of the religious magazine – The Watchtower

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.