Topic: The Superiority Of Divine Direction (Prt 2) [Thursday June 29, 2017]

Expertise is good, but it is not enough. Competence, naturally will enhance your output but the truth is, divine direction is superior. As a matter of fact, when divine direction is absent expertise and competence will still end in frustration. One thing you cannot do without in life, is divine direction.

I’d like you therefore to take some time to reflect over the issues of your life. If there is any thing you are struggling with despite the fact that all other kingdom principles are in place, you may need to check it. Have some quiet time, get into God’s presence and ask Him, “Lord what is it?” Make enquiries! For, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Prov 16:25). And you know God said, “…My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways…” (Isa 55:8-9). Divine direction is all about locating God’s way to your desired or expected end.

Divine direction was the secret of the exploits that David enjoyed all through his lifetime. A good number of the psalms contain his prayers for God’s guidance. “…For thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me…” (Ps 31:3). “Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path…” (Ps 27:11), etc. Enough of frustration and stagnation! Put aside your expertise, go for divine direction.

Meditate on these: Prov. 3:5, Jeremiah 17:5

Topic: Power from Heaven [Thursday June 29, 2017]

But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth. — Acts 1:8

It is possible to fill a glass with water without filling it to full capacity. Likewise, when you are born again you have the Holy Spirit in you, but you may not yet be totally filled with the Spirit. Many Christians are very busy doing things for God but don’t have enough power in their lives to be what God wants us to be.

Going through the motions and following religious formulas is a waste of time. You must have the revelation that Jesus is alive within you and allow Him to change you and make you a new creature in Christ. Don’t tuck God away for emergencies and Sunday mornings. Allow Him to work freely in every area of your life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Topic: Be Willing! [Thursday June 29, 2017]

If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. – Isaiah 1:19

A healthy body. Enough money to pay all your bills and extra to invest in the work of the gospel. A godly marriage and happy, healthy children. Peace of mind. God has prepared a banquet full of blessings for you. Kenneth Copeland’s daily devotional June 29, 2017 – Be Willing!

But those blessings are not just going to fall in your lap. You must be willing—as well as obedient—if you’re going to eat the best from God’s table.

So, be willing!

Don’t be willing for Satan to put sickness on your body. Be willing, instead, to be well! In honor of Jesus’ sacrifice at Calvary, refuse to accept anything less than divine health.

Don’t be willing to live in lack, but be willing instead to live in divine prosperity and abundance. Refuse to allow Satan to stop the flow of God’s financial blessings to you.

Be willing to receive God’s best plan for your marriage and your children. Don’t settle for the norms of the world. Live above them in a home full of love and harmony, a home that is what God meant it to be.

Don’t allow Satan to substitute anxiety and ulcers for the peace and undisturbedness that Jesus bought for you. Be willing and obedient to cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.

Refuse to be robbed of the banquet of blessings that has belonged to you since you became a believer. Be willing to eat the good of the land!

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 8:5-20

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: The Hands of Jesus [Thursday June 29, 2017]

. . . I was hungry, [and] you gave me food . . . — Matthew 25:35 (NEB)

During the war a church in Strasburg, Germany, was totally destroyed; but a statue of Christ which stood by the altar was almost unharmed. Only the hands of the statue were missing. When the church was rebuilt, a famous sculptor offered to make new hands; but, after considering the matter, the members decided to let it stand as it was—without hands. “For,” they said, “Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work on earth.

If we don’t feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, entertain the stranger, visit the imprisoned, and clothe the naked, who will?” Christ is depending on us to do the very things which He did while upon earth. My friend, if the gospel we preach does not have a social application, if it will not work effectively in the work-a-day world, then it is not the Gospel of Christ.

Prayer for the day: I look at my hands, Lord Jesus, and ask You to use them this day. Make me conscious of the needs of those who hurt.

Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.

Topic: Grow In Grace [Thursday June 29, 2017]

Luke 9:55 “But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.”

Luke 9:54-56

Jesus was constantly being accused of breaking the law of Moses. He taught differently than the law of Moses (Mt. 5:21-48), and now He rebukes His disciples for desiring to do what an Old Testament prophet did with God’s blessing and power. However, Jesus didn’t come to destroy the law but to fulfill it.

Jesus came not to destroy men’s lives but to save them (Jn. 3:16; 10:10).

“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them” (2 Cor. 5:19). Jesus was just in doing this because He bore our sins (Isa. 53:4-6) and the accompanying wrath of God (Mt. 27:46; Heb. 2:9). Jesus didn’t reject God’s judgment against sin; He bore it (2 Cor. 5:21). Therefore, He was able to extend the grace and mercy of God to those who would have been doomed under the law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39).

The Old Testament law was like a judge passing sentence upon sin. Jesus became our advocate (or lawyer). Even more than that, He became our substitute, bearing “our sins in his own body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24).

He didn’t destroy God’s judgment; He fulfilled it in Himself, so that we could go free. This forever changed God’s dealings with sinful man. In light of what Jesus has done in the New Covenant, we would be rebuked for trying to release God’s wrath upon others as was done in the Old Covenant. Likewise, if Jesus would have been on the earth in His physical body, reconciling the world unto Himself in the days of Elijah, then Elijah would have been rebuked for his actions, as recorded in 2 Kings 1:9-15. There is a difference between Old Testament law and New Testament grace. “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1:17). Grow in grace.

This message was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff. (www.awmi.net)

Topic: Rest In God [Thursday June 29, 2017]

Text: Psalm 119:121-128

Key Verse: “Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes” (Psalm 119:124).

Faron Young, a famous American singer and songwriter, who was married for over 32 years, plunged himself into alcoholism. This badly affected his life and he got separated from his wife. The court ordered him to pay her a lifetime alimony of $l,000 every month. After years of loneliness, heartache and pain coupled with prostate cancer, Young shot himself.

That was where he got it wrong, forgetting to surrender his challenges to Christ. The text, the prayer of the Psalmist, exposes his frailty, weakness and helplessness. It was a heartfelt prayer from someone, who was not pretentious but was in pain and suffering. He cried out his mind to God to get involved in his situation. He knew God abhorred sin and with it, no one would have access to Him. Therefore, he maintained a righteous life. He cried for God’s grace and mercy, being sure that God was his sole hope and unfailing resource of life.

He actually needed to be strengthened and so, he asked God for His deliverance. He pointed out that he was God’s servant, who obeyed Him at all times. He asked for understanding to know Him better through His Word. Sometimes, we could be in such a devastating and helpless situation, where we could cry day and night, seeking God’s deliverance and safety. We could feel vulnerable, often seized with fear that our enemies, who desire to hurt us, might have their way.

When you are so hard pressed with challenges, call upon God and you will be sure your appeal to Him will not be in vain. He will be delighted when you take Him at His word. So, come directly to Him and tell Him how you wholeheartedly depend upon Him. You might be an open target of the enemies, but God is there to protect you.

Thought for the day: He who wholly focuses on God can never be trapped in the minefield of life.

Bible Reading in one Year: Esther 1-5

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.