Topic: Cleaning House [Saturday July 1, 2017]

Read: 1 Peter 1:22–2:5, Bible in a Year: Job 20–21; Acts 10:24–48

Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 1 Peter 2:1

Recently, I switched rooms in the home I rent. This took longer than expected, because I didn’t want to simply transfer my (extensive) mess to a new room; I wanted a completely fresh and uncluttered start. After hours and hours of cleaning and sorting, bags of stuff sat by the front door to be thrown away, donated, or recycled. But at the end of this exhausting process was a beautiful room I was excited to spend time in.

My housecleaning project gave me a fresh perspective when reading 1 Peter 2:1, as paraphrased in The Message: “So, clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy, and hurtful talk.” Interestingly, it’s after a joyful confession of their new life in Christ (1:1–12) that Peter urges them to throw away destructive habits (1:13–2:3). When our walk with the Lord feels cluttered and our love for others feels strained, this shouldn’t cause us to question our salvation. We don’t change our lives to be saved, but because we are (1:23).

Heavenly Father, thank You for the new life You are building in us through our Lord Jesus.

As real as our new life in Christ is, bad habits learned do not disappear overnight. So, on a daily basis, we need to “clean house,” throwing away all that prevents us from fully loving others (1:22) and growing (2:2). Then, in that new, clean space, we can experience the wonder of being freshly built (v. 5) by Christ’s power and life.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the new life You are building in us through our Lord Jesus. Help us to daily turn to You for cleansing and renewal.

Every day we can reject destructive habits and experience new life in Jesus.

Insight:

The Scriptures include both the good and the bad of Peter’s life. After Jesus’s arrest, Peter denied even knowing Jesus, but later proclaimed Him to be the Son of God. Peter struggled to be consistent in his relationship with Christ. Perhaps that is why we can relate to his story.

Writing to an audience of Jews and Gentiles, Peter encourages growth in salvation. Once we are saved, our journey has merely begun (1 Peter 2:2–3). Therefore, Peter encourages us to live an examined life, ridding ourselves of things that hinder our growth (v. 1) and keep us from loving each other (1:22). But this is only half the journey; the other half is “craving pure spiritual milk”—desiring and partaking of spiritual food through God’s Word, which results in developing good habits.

Are there habits you need to “rid yourself” of? What can you replace them with?

This message was written By Monica Brands [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: Salvation Comes First [Saturday 1, July 2017]

Memorise: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. – 1 Peter 2:24

Read: 1 Peter 2:21-25 (KJV)

21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

Bible in One Year: 1 Samuel 8-9, Lamentation 3:7-36, Hymn: Sing hymn 11

MESSAGE:
[July 1, Saturday 2017]
Just as the repercussions of sin can affect every facet of life, so also can salvation become the platform of recovery for every area of life that has been devastated by sin. When a sinner comes in contact with the lamb of God and His blood, his or her sins are washed away, and all the devastating effects of sin can be reversed in one day. Take for instance the impotent man in John 5:2-14, who was sick for 38 years. Immediately he came in contact with Jesus, he was healed. From that moment, he stopped failing, hope came to his hopelessness, he was able to fellowship with people in church, peace came to his life and joy returned to his heart. All these happened in one day. When you give your life to Jesus and He saves your soul, peace and joy will suddenly flood your heart. From that very moment, you have access to all the precious promises of God. You can claim them and they will become reality in your life. Open Heavens 2017: Saturday July 1, Daily Devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Salvation Comes First
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” – 1 Peter 2:24

God’s process for healing is revealed in the above scripture. First is the transfer of your sins to the crucified body of Jesus Christ by faith, and thereafter comes healing. Many people want God to heal them but they do not want God to first roll away their sins. It doesn’t work that way! Any prophet, man of God or pastor who promises to heal you without the experience of salvation from sin must be avoided like a plague. Why? It is because instead of a miracle from God, you might be getting magic from Satan, and you can be certain that Satan is a very wicked taskmaster. Moreover, quite a number of sicknesses and diseases are caused by sin. The moment you settle the issue of sin at the cross of Jesus Christ, healing will then be released. Are you sick and still wallowing in sin? Give your life to Jesus now! Renounce every link with the devil, break every covenant with demons and commit your life to Christ. Ask God to forgive you for your life of sin and promise never to return to that life. Ask Him to come into your heart as Lord and Saviour today. If you have truly done these from your heart, I command every sickness or disease hibernating inside your body to be uprooted now in Jesus’ Name!

Action Point: Use every opportunity to pray for the healing of the sick, but first lead them to Christ.

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.

It’s important to know basic facts about the human body for health reasons, because ignorance can be costly. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares 5 basic facts you should know about the human body.

Stomach Acid Can Dissolve Metal

Yes, your stomach acid is in fact that acidic. The only reason the acid in your stomach doesn’t eat right through your body is because your stomach cells are renewed faster than they are destroyed.

Weight Affects Ability to Conceive

Being malnourished can negatively affect ovulation, because a minimum of 22 percent body fat is necessary for ovulation and reproductive competence. On the other hand, being overweight can also alter hormone chemistry and negatively affect ovulation. Not only does weight affect fertility, it also affects pregnancy. Thankfully, weight-related fertility issues can easily be remedied by shedding or gaining the required weight. So, if you are of an ideal or reasonable weight (a BMI between 19 and 25), you shouldn’t be going on crash diet or unnecessarily trying to lose weight.

Men Also Have a Biological Clock

Age can affect a man’s ability to conceive, it might not be as profound an effect like with women, but it’s an effect to consider nonetheless. Recently, researchers at Bristol and Brunel universities evaluated 8,500 couples to determine the impact of age on the length of time it takes to conceive. They discovered that while only 8 percent of the men failed to impregnate their partner after a year of trying, the number grew to 15 percent after age 35. Considering factors like the fact that a man’s sexual drive drops with age causing the frequency of sexual intercourse to drop, the study suggests that paternal age can also affect a couple’s ability to conceive.

After Eating Too Much, Your Hearing is Less Sharp

Surprising right? Another reason why you should avoid eating too much.

Birth Control Choices Have Fertility Implications

The method of contraception a woman has used can affect her fertility and impact conception. Therefore, it’s important for a woman to consult her doctor on the best birth control choices for her body. She should, in other words, carefully consider birth control choices before she decides she wants to get pregnant.

By Damilola Ojo
PR Associate Jumia Travel
+2348101556883

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: Evil Associated With Darkness [30/06/2017]

And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John 1:5. Read: 3:19-21

Everything God Almighty created  is good and very good. While one is beneficial, the other can be unfavorable. For instance, the day (light) is to the advantage of the sons of men to engage in physical activities while it’s may not be helpful to evil doers because they cannot do their evil works. But while men use the night as a time to rest from their daily routine, the evil doers see it as a time to execute their evil works. Darkness is associated with all kinds of evil works, hence, Jesus said, “But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way”. Matt 13:25.

Those tares represent the troubles men wake up to meet in their lives and family. Some as a result could not make it to life, they sleep the sleep of death while others wake up with all kinds of diseases. The earth was without form and void in the beginning because darkness was upon the face of the deep. First thing God did was to command light to come and chase darkness away. You must dispel darkness before it will overwhelm and consume you out of the earth.

Men that hate the truth operate in darkness, all their wicked ways are planned in the dark and executed during the day. But no matter how long darkness tarries, light will always overcome because when light comes, darkness disappears. Light is the antidote to darkness and its works. For you to overcome the darkness and its evil works, you must deliberately allow the light of God’s word to dwell richly in your heart and life. You need enough light from God’s word to put darkness to flight.

#BiblePromisesThought

* Father, every works of darkness within and around me, I command them to leave now in Jesus Mighty Name.

Today’s Scripture: Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has delivered from the hand of the adversary.” – (Psalm 107:2, AMPC)

Topic: Say So [Friday June 30, 2017]

Notice that today’s scripture doesn’t say, “Let the redeemed of the Lord think so.” Or, “Let the redeemed believe so.” Of course, it’s important to think right and believe right, but something supernatural happens when we open our mouths and declare a thing. You don’t even have to say it to anyone else. You can just say it to yourself—driving to work or in the shower— say, “The economy may be low, but I am blessed. I am prosperous. I will lend and not borrow.” “I may have had some setbacks, but I know those setbacks are a setup for a comeback! This is still going to be my best year so far. The favor of God is turning things around.” You are prophesying your future.

Remember, when you say what the Lord has done for you, when you declare that you are redeemed, you are opening the door for God to move on your behalf. The scripture tells us that He watches over His Word to perform it. When you declare His Word, when you speak His promises, He is faithful to fulfill them and lead you into victory all the days of your life!

A Prayer for Today: “Father in heaven, thank You for delivering me and setting me free. I will declare Your goodness. I will declare Your promises. I will declare Your favor so that I can live the good life You have prepared for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Topic: You Can Have Daily Victories! (Part 1) [Friday June 30, 2017]

2 Corinthians 2:14 says, “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.” The words, “always” and “every place” connote that daily victory is possible. You may not be enjoying that level of victory right now, but you have the potential and what makes it a realty is faith.

If you must enjoy daily victories, you must live by faith because according to scriptures, the just shall live by his faith (Habakkuk 2:4). The quality of life you live is determined by the level of your faith. The word ‘live’ primarily means survival, so the just shall survive by his faith. In the world they talk about survival of the fittest. So also it is in the realm of the spirit, it is faith that makes you fit to survive every attack of the enemy. We are told in Hebrews 11:33-34 that through faith the elders subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire and escaped the edge of the sword. The Bible also tells us that faith is a shield with which we can quench every fiery dart of the wicked one (Eph. 6:16). So, faith is the answer to daily victorious living. It is however important for you to understand how this faith is expressed.

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

Topic: God’s Righteous Friend [Friday June 30, 2017]

For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by his goodness]. — 2 Corinthians 5:21

I cannot think of anything more awesome than being a friend of God. There is nothing I would rather hear God say than, “Joyce Meyer is My friend.” I do not want Him to say, “Joyce Meyer—knows all the prayer principles; she can quote dozens of Bible verses; she sounds very eloquent when she prays; but she really doesn’t know Me at all and we are not really friends.” I want to know that God thinks of me as His friend, and I believe you long for Him to think of you that way, too. Through Jesus Christ, we have a right to be comfortable with God, to hear His voice, and to go boldly to the throne of grace to get the help we need in plenty of time to meet our needs and the needs of others (see Hebrews 4:16).

One of the best things you can ever do is to develop your friendship with God. Jesus has made you righteous through the blood He shed at the cross, so there is no reason you cannot approach God as boldly and as naturally as you would your best friend on Earth. Remember, friendship with God takes an investment of time and energy to develop. But also remember that as your friendship deepens, your ability to hear God’s voice increases. A growing, vibrant, increasingly intimate friendship with God will naturally lead to increasingly effective communication with Him.

Topic: The Pathway to Royalty [Friday June 30, 2017]

Scripture: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 1 Peter 2:9

Thought For The Day: The Anointing is key to stardom and royalty.

It is very clear from our anchor scripture that we have been destined by God to be kings and men and women of influence upon the earth. God’s purpose for your life is for you to occupy the high places of the earth. You are destined for the throne. This can be seen in the lives of Joseph, David, Daniel, Esther, Mordecai, etc.

However, we have been destined by God for the throne; many have died as servants and paupers on earth owing to lack of the understanding of the pathway to authority.

Now, what is the pathway to the throne?

It is access to the Anointing!

When the Anointing came upon David, he gained access to the palace. It was the manifestation of the gifts in the lives of Joseph and Daniel that gave them access to royalty.

The Anointing is key to stardom and royalty. It is the access route to authority. The anointing gives a person access and audience before people in authority.

Beloved, I counsel you to connect the power of God in order to influence men in power for God.

Remember this: The anointing is key to stardom and royalty.

Assignment(s):

1. Ask God for the deployment of your potentials.

2. Connect with the power of God in order to manifest your potentials.

Prayer: O LORD, I ask that You lift me up to the place of authority. Help me to deploy my potentials in order to influence my generation for You, LORD, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: THE POWER OF THE ANOINTING.

Daily Reading: 2 Kings 17:1 to 18:12, Acts 20:1 to 38, Psalm 148:1 to 14, Proverbs 18:6 to 7.

Quote: Principles are behind the making of principal people. Culled from 30 SECRETS TO THE TOP by Dr Paul Enenche.

Amazing Fact: A healthy human hair emits sound.

Today In History: 30/6/1960 – Congo gained independence from Belgium.

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: The Word Makes You Wiser [Friday June 30, 2017]

“Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies:..” Psalm 119:98

Psalm 119:96 says, “I have seen an end of all perfection:” In other words, whatever the wisdom of man can create there is an end. “But thy commandment is exceeding broad” Whatever man can create, manufacture or invent has a limit. That is why Paul said your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. He said we speak wisdom to them that are perfect but not the wisdom of this world or the princes of this world that comes to naught. He said my speech is not in the enticing words of man’s wisdom but in the demonstration of the power of God, so that your faith will not stand on man’s wisdom because there is a limit to man’s wisdom.

For instance  a doctor can come to you with a negative result of an examination and say your condition is bad. That is the reality of the situation, but that is not the truth. Verse 97 of Psalm 119 says, “O how I love thy law!  It is my meditation all the day.” I love your law! It  is what I think about! I think through it!  I am in agreement with it so that I can function in it. I love your law and I speak it out so that I can become what it has said. “Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies:”

Your enemies are there and they want you destroyed. They want to stop you and hinder you. But God is saying that he has made you wiser because he knows they are there. And so he has provided a way of escape. He says I have given you my word. They can’t understand it. When others are saying grab what you can grab, kill and destroy so that you have more to yourself,  I am saying release so that you can have abundance. The world can’t understand it because it only knows how to grab. If care is not taken you will look at your immediate circumstances and say, I don’t have and why should I give? Beloved, stay in the Word.

Further Reading: Psalm 1:1 – 3, Joshua 1:8

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Job 17-19; Evening- Acts 10:1-23

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: Sin Destroys [Friday June 30, 2017]

Text: Ezekiel 20:1-9

Key Verse: “Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you” (Ezekiel 20:3).

Matthew Henry, a nonconformist English minister and Bible commentator, once said, “No attribute of God is more dreadful to sinners than His holiness.” That is why our text reveals that when the Israelites wanted to inquire certain issues from God, He outrightly refused to listen to them.

They had completely entangled themselves in sin and deserved no communication with God. Sometimes, when God keeps silent when we have prayed, there could be a reason. It is required of us, therefore, to do a thorough soul-searching examination to find out the cause. The Israelites had been in captivity. When they came to Ezekiel, they probably wanted to find out whether God would use the Egyptians to rescue them or they would soon return to their own country. But God ignored them, asking Ezekiel to inform them that there was no basis for it.

As against their inquiry, God instructed Ezekiel to tell them about their depravity, which had put them at contrary purposes to Him. Today, quite a lot of people have forgotten God. They hardly count God’s blessings upon their lives. Instead, they mesmerise themselves with unprofitable things, getting entangled with sins. They forget that sin brings negative things. If it were positive, God would not have been concerned about it and there would not have been any need for repentance. But because of its injurious nature and Satan being at the crux of it, God commanded that we should come out of sin.

Sin could destroy your innocence, tarnish your integrity, destroy your deeds and will, put you into slavery, produce sickness, pain and degeneracy in your life and put you to death. That is why you must come out of it today. Delay may be dangerous.

Thought for the day: Sin is an entanglement; free yourself from it.

Bible Reading in one Year: Esther 6-10

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.