Topic: Reward Of False Prophecy [Wednesday June 28, 2017]

Text: Jeremiah 28:10-17

Key Verse: “Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD” (Jeremiah 28:16).

Even though afflictions come from the devil, God, sometimes, allows them as a form of chastisement against His people for their wrongdoing. This was exactly the situation of the Israelites, as the text depicted, when they involved themselves in sin.

Jeremiah, by the Spirit of the Lord, wore a yoke, which symbolised the Jews and other neighbouring nations’ subjection to the king of Babylon. It was not that Nebuchadnezzar was righteous, but submission to him was a form of punishment, which could prevent the extreme evil that would otherwise befall them. Hananiah, a false prophet, who stood against Jeremiah’s prophecy and made the people believe a lie, took the yoke from off Jeremiah’s neck and broke it.

Jeremiah, as against contending with Hananiah, quietly and patiently went his way. But shortly after he left, God’s message came to him against Hananiah and the people. For the people, God had taken away the yokes of wood from them and put the yokes of iron upon their necks. So, they would serve Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. For Hananiah, he would die that year. In less than two months, Hananiah truly died. We should, therefore, be mindful of the fact that a lie is the breaking of God’s commands and its price is very high. If sin is allowed to go unchecked, it will have a crippling effect and it may ruin the person eternally because no one commits a sin and goes unpunished if he does not repent.

It prevented Moses from reaching the Promised Land and Samson lost his eyesight and life, among others. Therefore, do everything possible to avoid sin.

Thought for the day: False prophecy offers poisonous religious prescription.

Bible Reading in one Year: Philemon

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: Live By Faith, Not By Your Senses [June 28, 2017]

“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” Hebrew 10:38.
   
We are in an age where people are using their senses. We are in an age where the mind power is very strong. And it is sad that people are using the same mindset to serve God. When you serve God with your senses, you are positioning yourself for serious trouble because you cannot serve God with your senses. The bible says without faith it is impossible to please God. You cannot go too far in your Christian walk outside faith. Children of God shouldn’t serve God with their senses because the natural man does not understand the things of the spirit because they are foolishness to him. He cannot know them because they are spiritually discerned.

When you walk with your senses you begin to walk in the realm of the flesh. You cannot serve God with your senses that’s why the bible says the just shall live by faith, not by their senses. It also says those who are of the flesh do mind the things of the flesh. And  those who are of the spirit mind the things of the spirit.  A lot of us believers are allowing the cares of life and the deceitfulness of riches and all the challenges around us to determine how far we can go with God. You are serving God with senses.

In 2 Timothy 3:1, Paul told Timothy to know and  be acquainted with the truth about the last days. It is a time you cannot understand and a time difficult to live in. Incidentally the time is right on us. We are living in a time that is difficult to survive in. He said men shall be lovers of their own selves. They want their comfort. If it is difficult, then they will bail out. If the things that use to excite you concerning the things of God no more excite you, you are already backsliding. David said I was glad when they say let us go to the house of the Lord. But today some believers are unhappy to go to the house of the Lord.

Further Reading: Romans 5:1-11, 2Corinthians 5:1-7

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Job 11-13; Evening- Acts 9:1-21

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: Unfinished Works [Wednesday June 28, 2017]

Read: Romans 7:14–25, Bible in a Year: Job 11–13; Acts 9:1–21

Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:24–25

At his death, the great artist Michelangelo left many unfinished projects. But four of his sculptures were never meant to be completed. The Bearded Slave, the Atlas Slave, the Awakening Slave, and the Young Slave, though they appear unfinished, are just as Michelangelo intended them to be. The artist wanted to show what it might feel like to be forever enslaved.

Rather than sculpting figures in chains, Michelangelo made figures stuck in the very marble out of which they are carved. Bodies emerge from the stone, but not completely. Muscles flex, but the figures are never able to free themselves.

Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:25

My empathy with the slave sculptures is immediate. Their plight is not unlike my struggle with sin. I am unable to free myself: like the sculptures I am stuck, “a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me” (Rom 7:23). No matter how hard I try, I cannot change myself. But thanks be to God, you and I will not remain unfinished works. We won’t be complete until heaven, but in the meantime as we welcome the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, He changes us. God promises to finish the good work He has begun in us (Phil. 1:6).

Prayer: God, thank You that You make us new creatures through the work of Your Son Jesus Christ, freeing us from our slavery to sin.

He is the potter; we are the clay.

Insight:

The war between the good we want to do and the bad we end up doing is a struggle for all Christ-followers. Paul places this tension as being between his “inner man” (his renewed heart and Holy Spirit-guided conscience) and the “flesh” (the fallen nature that still is drawn to sin). The good news is that someday we will be renewed in mind and body—free from the temptation to sin and the impact of our sinful choices.

This message was written By Amy Peterson [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: What Kind of Growth? [Wednesday 28, June 2017]

Memorise: But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: – Ephesians 4:15

Read: Ephesians 4: 10-16 (KJV)

10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Bible in One Year: 1 Samuel 1-2, Lamentation 1:13-2:2, Hymn: Sing hymn 6

MESSAGE:

If you are a sheep in the fold of the Great Shepherd, you will not lack rest or what to eat. Beyond these, you will not thirst, as He leads you beside the still, calm waters.  This is another way of saying that your thirst will be quenched. The Lord in Matthew 5:6 spoke of this when He said:

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

Hunger and thirst are part of the mechanisms that have been programmed into the human body to produced growth. How you respond to these impulses will determine the quality or type of growth you experience. Prolonged starvation and refusal to eat both lead to death. Similarly, while taking only a particular kind of food, some people experience abnormal growth patterns, due to the absence of the required quantity of nutrients, vitamins, fatty acids, and so on, needed by their body. This is why children who are exclusively fed a diet full of carbohydrates tend to have oversized heads and stomachs, rickety legs and hands – a growth problem known as “Kwashiorkor”. For growth to be even and progressive, all the needs of the body must be provided.

The observed effect of food on physical growth in the natural world also applies to what happens in the spirit. Today, spiritual growth is so distorted in the Body of Christ as a result of the nature of food being fed and the attitude of believers towards spiritual food. There are different stages of growth in the Kingdom of God. 1 Peter 2:2 says baby Christians should be fed with milk, so as to grow normally. Today, you have those who claim to have been saved for 5, 10 or more years still insisting on being fed with milk. If a 10 year old child still wants to be breastfed, what kind of growth would result from this? Also, there are so many false doctrines being propagated through the airwaves and in churches today. What kind of growth will such doctrines deliver to these who receive them? In addition, a number of those who are being fed the sound, undiluted truth of God’s word do not have enough time to receive it. What kind of growth do you think will result from such spiritual eating pattern? When you do not grow as you are expected to, you become a problem to yourself and others around you. How are you growing today? What are you feeding on? How often do you feed on God’s word?

Action Point: Change your spiritual diet and feeding pattern to reflect the desire for healthy spiritual growth.

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: Getting the Most Out of Your Marriage [Tuesday June 27, 2017]

Do to others as you would have them do to you. — Luke 6:31 NIV

I wonder how many millions of people think, I just don’t feel the way I once did about my spouse. I wish I still felt excited about our marriage—that the romantic feelings would come back. This is when we need to remember: wishing does not do any good; only action changes things.

If you don’t feel you are getting anything out of your marriage, perhaps you are not putting enough into it. We usually give our spouses the unfair and unrealistic responsibility of making us happy rather than being grateful for them and choosing to make them happy. In the process, selfishness causes both of you to be unhappy. But you can change that! If you want your marriage or any other relationship to improve, just start being grateful for that person and try to bless them every chance you get.

Prayer of Thanks: Father, thank You for my spouse and for their unique gifts and abilities. Help me to appreciate them and focus on their strengths. Today, I choose to be a blessing and let You take care of everything else.

Topic: Don’t Rely On Experience! (Part 2) [Tuesday June 27, 2017]

Moses could have said, “I have experience. I will just take the rod again and put it in the bitter water and it will become good for drinking.” But rather than rely on his experience, Moses waited to be directed by God. In Exodus chapter 16, the people murmured again because there was no food. When God heard their murmuring He said to Moses, “…Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you…”

Moses did not need to do anything. In chapter 17 they came to Rephidim, once again, there was no water for the people to drink. When Moses cried to the Lord He said to him, “Take the rod, get down to Horeb and smite the Rock there and water shall come out of it for the people to drink.” Moses did so and water gushed out of the Rock (Ex. 17:5-6). But in Numbers chapter 20, they were faced again with the same challenge; no water to drink. This time God said to Moses, “…Speak ye unto the rock…and it shall give forth his water…” (Verse 8). But Moses took the rod and smote the Rock as he did the previous time, and for that reason God refused him to enter the Promised Land.

Look, no matter how experienced you are, you can’t be more experienced than God. So, before you take any major step in life, ask for His guidance. Don’t say, “This is the way we have been doing it.” God is a God of creativity, He alone knows all the intricacies of the issue you are facing, so He knows the most suitable approach that would give you the victory over each challenge. Your experience is good but divine guidance is superior.

Meditate on these: Heb 4:13, Isaiah 46:10

Topic: How to be Happy in Your Home (4)

Dear Reader,

You are welcome to another exciting moment in God’s presence! I shared with you last week on Spices for a Happy Home. In that teaching, I showed you some examples of spices like Joy, Excitement, Praise and Appreciation. This week, I want to share with you the Main Reason You Must Train Your Children.

For you to enjoy a happy home, you must train your children according to God’s guidelines. The following are the reasons you must train them in the way of the Lord.

God commanded it

Child-training is not a piece of advice, a suggestion or a thing you do at your convenience. It is a commandment from God and His commandments are neither grievous nor burdensome (1John 5:3). My husband says, “God‘s commandments are not to grieve you, but to groom you.”  Bring your children up in the way of the Lord because if you refuse to do so, you are disobeying God’s commandment. As far as God is concerned, disobedience is as terrible as witchcraft. 1 Samuel 15:23a says: For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Disobedience is like drinking the blood of another human being as witches do. May God not catch you as a witch! His Word also says: Do not suffer a witch to live (Exodus 22:18). In other words, if you are not bringing up your children in the way they should go, you are cutting short the number of your days. Receive grace from God now, to be obedient to this commandment on child-training in Jesus’ name.

It is the responsibilities of both parents

Take a look at Proverbs 22:6 again. God did not mention here who, particularly, should do the training, but definitely it is the parents. I mean both parents because neither the father nor the mother alone can give birth to a child. It is a combination of forces; therefore, the training must be done by both parents. Child-training is not the responsibility of the mother alone; it is that of both the father and the mother. For example, in Nigerian culture, every good and well behaved child belongs to the father, but the one that is bad and corrupt is for the mother.

Remember it is a combination of forces that brought the child to be. So, it must be a combination of forces that will fulfill that commandment. Both parents must create time for their children, so that the children will not become thorns in their flesh tomorrow. Training your children in the fear of the Lord is your primary responsibility. Don’t be slack about it! Both parents ought to fulfill their parts and make it a joint effort. The Bible says in Ecclesiastics 4:9 that: Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.

As parents, pay close attention to your children and create time to listen to them. Also, fellowship with them and give them opportunities to ask questions that are bothering them. Learn to create time for fun and excitement and all tension will be defused. Do not allow your children to become victims of neglect by being too busy to attend to them. I pray for a release of grace upon you now for the fulfillment of your role as parents in Jesus’ mighty name.

It is a seed

Whatever you do in life is a seed and you will eventually reap the fruit. Likewise, child-training is a seed. You will reap the harvest of whatever training you give to your children tomorrow. The Word of God says: While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease (Genesis 8:22).

When you sow the seed of good Christian upbringing into the lives of your children, they will give you joy, happiness and fulfillment tomorrow. For your children not to give you heartache tomorrow, you must to sow seeds of proper upbringing into their lives.

Certain things were sown as seeds into my life as a little girl and for that, I will never forget my parents. I advise you to do the same for your children. In Jeremiah Chapter 35, Jonadab sowed the seed of good child-training. Even after he departed, generations after him still continued to follow his footsteps. No wonder in verses 18 & 19, God had to make a promise. The seed that Jonadab sowed into his children began to bring forth fruits which eventually brought them to the throne. Even our Lord Jesus Christ came from his lineage. What a harvest of fruits!

You need grace to be able to train your children. This can only be received when you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Saviour. Are you set to receive Him into your life today? Say this prayer of faith with me: “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.”

Congratulations! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are born again and you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name!  Call or write to share your testimonies with me through [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building a Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).

Topic: Get It Out Of The Page [Tuesday, 27th June 2017]

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. James 1:25

A philosopher, Sun Tzu, once said and I paraphrase, “no matter how many holy words you know, if you don’t live by them, it won’t profit you.” No matter how many working visions, ideas and goals we are able to pen down, we will not experience the profit of these goals if we don’t take the necessary actions. Actions are what give life to our goals. They will remain inanimate in the pages of the book, if not made animate with corresponding actions.

One of the many plagues bedeviling Nigeria as a country is lack of taking the prerequisite actions or what they call political will, to implement the wonderful recommendations various confabs, conferences, and reports from numerous committees have churned out. In our national archives, there are lots of good recommendations that, if actions that are deliberate and consistently purposeful are taken, Nigeria would get out of the woods she currently is. But to our greatest chagrin there is no political will to implement them. They are still inanimate in the pages of the books.

We must endeavor to take steps to achieve our strategic plans and ideas God has placed in our hearts, that we have written in pages of books. We must breath life into those pages so that we can enjoy profit from them as God intended. Take the bold step today. Forget all the reason why it won’t work and focus on the one reason why it will, and that reason it that God is involved. Trust Him to order your steps as you step out in faith to achieve those wonder goals, visions and ideas He has laid in your heart.

Keep winning daily.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I take the step of faith today, to accomplish the beautiful ideas that You have given me. I trust in You to help me make profit with them, to Your glory and praise, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: When He Says It, It Is Done [27/06/17]

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:11. Read: 1 Sam 2:30-36

One attribute of our God is that, He is not a talkative. Once He speaks, that is final and when He repeats Himself sometimes, it means His long-suffering. Long before God speaks, He has already done what He said. God is too big to cajole anyone, He is too important to flatter anyone and He is too faithful to fail or lie to His children. Lies, jesting, flattering can never make Him big because He’s already big. Sometimes, you hear some people say some things that makes it look like God is a liar or God has failed them. Has God promised you anything and now it seems like that particular thing is not forth coming? Hold on to Him, at the appropriate time, your Samuel will come, and menopause or andropause will not hold your Isaac back. The promises of the LORD is binding so long you play according to the rules. Remember, He honours His word above His name.

But be careful not to stop or abort God’s glorious promises for your life and family. God made  a promise to Eli that his lineage shall not lack a man to stand before Him but his children brought upon themselves and the whole family doom due to the breach in covenant. Whatsoever God has promised you, do your part to enjoy the fruits of the covenant, lest, such covenant becomes your doom.

#BiblePromisesPrayer

* I decree and declare, my family and I shall not destroy God’s covenant for our lives

* God’s Words concerning us shall be fulfilled in Jesus Mighty Name

Topic: The Truth About Your Healing [Tuesday June 27, 2017]

Scripture: But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5.

Thought For The Day: The price for your healing had been paid on the Cross of Calvary long before your birth.

The Bible makes us to understand that the knowledge of the truth is key to freedom (John 8:32). Revelation is key to liberation. So, it is important that truth be known because nothing makes a man free like the truth.

In the light of this, I want you to know the truth about your healing in order to be free from the afflictions of life.

What then is the truth?

On the Cross of Calvary, Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows; by His stripes, we were healed.

This means that every sickness in your life had been carried away by Jesus on the Cross of Calvary. Every sickness that could have made you to shed tears and mourn had been taken away by Jesus Christ on the Cross.

The price for your healing had been paid on the cross. Your burdens have been lifted at Calvary. This is why Matthew 8:17 says, ‘Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.’

Therefore, you are not permitted to be a carrier of cancer, tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS, etc. because Jesus Himself took away your infirmities on the Cross of Calvary.

My counsel is: stand upon this revelation and resist every sickness in your life. Determine to war against every infirmity in your life with the light of God’s Word at the place of prayer.

Remember this: The price for your healing had been paid on the Cross of Calvary long before your birth.

Assignment(s):

1. Ask God for a deeper revelation of the transaction that took place on the Cross of Calvary.

2. Make demands on God for your healing that had been perfected on the Cross.

Prayer: O LORD, thank You for taking away my grief on the Cross. I make demands on my healing, LORD, in Jesus’ Name.

Daily Reading: 2 Kings 10:32 to 12:21, Acts 18:1 to 22, Psalm 145:1 to 21, Proverbs 18:1.

Quote: The Presence of God will give you favour where others are rejected. Culled from 30 SECRETS TO THE TOP by Dr Paul Enenche.

Amazing Fact: After eating too much, your hearing is less sharp.

Today In History: 27/6/1898 – The first solo circumnavigation of the globe was completed by Joshua Slocum from Briar Island, Nova Scotia.

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.