Topic: Who is Behind This Roadblock? [Thursday 22, June 2017]

Memorise: Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. – Psalm 26:2

Read: Numbers 22:22-31 (KJV)

22 And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.

23 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.

24 But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.

25 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.

26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.

27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.

28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.

30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.

31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.

Bible in One Year: Judges 15-16, Jeremiah 51:27-44, Hymn: Sing hymn 4

MESSAGE:

“Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.” – Psalm 68:1

The above scripture is one of those very popular passages in the Psalms. When a baby Christian hears it, he will say “Amen!” Some adult Christians have even turned it into a song. A mature believer in Christ, I mean a real bone-cracker, will however react differently. When he or she hears this passage being quoted, the first thing he or she will do is to carry out a brief self-examination and introspectively ask: “I hope I am not one of these enemies?” In other words, he is not in a hurry to say amen. In 2 Samuel 12:1-7, after Prophet Nathan told King David the story of an oppressive act committed in his kingdom, the king rose up in fury and decreed, “That fellow must die.” Then the prophet replied, “You are the man, O king.” Be very careful how you judge others because Matthew 7:2 says,

“For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”

If only some people were merciful while judging others, they too would have been shown mercy when they were going through their own judgement.

Beloved, before you cry to God to arise and let His enemies be scattered, first find out if you are not that enemy. Have you even tried to find out whether God is the one fighting you? In today’s Bible reading, God had told Prophet Balaam not to go and curse His people. Nevertheless, when Balak invited him to curse the children of Israel and promised him a lot of money, he disobeyed God. God therefore sent an angel to block his way. The donkey he rode on saw the angel and stopped, but because his own eyes were blinded by covetousness, he could not see the angel. What will you do if you find yourself in this scenario? You perceive something is blocking your way but you do not know what exactly it is, and you say, “You demon standing between me and my destiny, move!” You get a response saying, “I am not a demon but an angel.” You then insist and say, “No problem, whatever you are, move out of my way!” He then asks, “In whose name?” You say “In the Name of Jesus Christ”, and the response is, “Oh, He is the One who asked me to block your way!” What would you do? Today, many people are busy fighting non-existent forces of darkness that they believe are blocking their way. Go back to God and find out who is really blocking your way in order to pray correctly.

Key Point: Many children of God are doing God’s work their own way and refusing to do it God’s way. God is therefore grinding them to a halt!

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.

Today’s Scripture: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – (Philippians 1:6, NIV)

Topic: He Will Finish [Wednesday June 21, 2017]

Are you believing for something that seems like it’s taking longer than you hoped? Maybe you’ve been praying for a loved one. Maybe you’ve believed for a situation to change for years. Don’t get discouraged. God is going to finish what He started! He is a faithful God, and He has something unmatched, unparalleled coming your way—favor, breakthroughs, restoration like you haven’t seen before!

God has been good to all of us in the past, but I believe we’re coming into a time where we will see greater anointing, greater power and greater victories! The key is that we have to stay in agreement with God. We should get up every morning and say, “Father, thank You for Your unprecedented favor. Thank You for the immeasurable, unlimited, surpassing greatness of Your power.” If you keep standing in faith, I believe you’re going to come into more of those days where you stand in utter amazement and say, “Wow, God! I’ve never seen anything like this before!”

Remember, scripture says, “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?” No, nothing is impossible when we put our faith and trust in Him. Today, keep standing, keep believing and keep hoping because God has something astounding in store for your future!

A Prayer for Today: “Heavenly Father, today I set my heart and mind on You. I choose to trust that You are working behind the scenes on my behalf. I stand strong on Your Word today knowing that victory is on the way in Jesus’ name. Amen!”

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: The Empowered Minister. Pt Four [21/06/17]

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. 1 Corinthians 4:20. Read: 1 Cor 4:15-21

One of the things that makes the  extraordinary Christian different from the ordinary is the encounter he/she had with the all-powerful God. Shortly after the healing of the lame man at the beautiful gate, Peter and John were summoned by the Sanhedrin for questioning. They were threatened and warned not to speak or teach in Jesus’ name. “But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard”. Acts  4:19-20.

The least among the apostles, Paul was ready to die for the gospel of Jesus Christ not because he loved death, but for the personal encounter he had with the powerful God on his way to Damascus in Acts 9. From then till his death, he believed and preached the gospel with the power of God. In his first letter to the Church in Corinth, he told the brethren that, For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. It’s not about being eloquent, your eloquence must be backed up with God’s power to be effective in the lives of His people. Power makes the difference in ministry and His word, go for it now.

#BiblePromisesPrayer

* Father, I don’t want to be an ordinary Christian anymore, turn me to an extraordinary christian by Your power now in Jesus Mighty Name

Topic: Uproot That Weed! [Wednesday June 21, 2017]

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh.” So, Christianity is a call to warfare not funfair. And a war is fought with weapons, not toys. That is why the next verse says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;” The word ‘canal’ in this context means they are not physically identified or seen. But even then, they are effectual through God to the pulling down of strongholds. So, there is no hold of the devil any where that you can’t pull down. You can pull down the devil from any height! How? By “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

Now, imaginations talks of reasonings or mental pictures. So, every physical warfare you see around you is traceable to a mental warfare. Until satan overcomes you in your mind, he cannot prevail over you in the physical.

The mind of man is an open junction. I can’t promise you that satan will stop suggesting evil thoughts to you, but you have the power either to reject those thoughts or embraces them. When he flashes a picture before your mind and tells you, “You will have accident”, you have the power to reject it and tell him, “No! Satan, you are too small to try that!”

No matter what is happening around you, to keep thinking right. When you touch your child and it seems the temperature is high, instead of thinking, “Maybe this child has a disease. Ahh! It might even lead to death!” Simply tell yourself, “The seed of the righteous shall be mighty upon earth. This is a mighty man in the making, not a weakling.”

Topic: Keep Your Peace [Wednesday June 21, 2017]

And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always]. — Colossians 3:15

When you do feel you need to say no, you don’t have to give a reason why. So often people want us to justify our decisions, and we really don’t need to do that. I try to be led by God’s Spirit—or another way of saying it is I try to be led by my heart—and sometimes I don’t even fully understand why I don’t feel something isn’t right for me.

But I have learned if I do feel that way, I am not going to go against my own conscience in order to have everyone be happy with me. I often say, “I just don’t have peace about it,” or “I don’t feel right about it,” or even a plain old “I don’t want to” is sufficient.

There is nothing wrong with giving a reason if you have one, but I think we go overboard trying to explain ourselves sometimes. Follow your heart and keep your peace. Say no when you need to and yes when you should.

Lord, make me more sensitive to the peace that comes when You are ruling in my heart. May I be quick to follow Your peace and leading in everything I do. Amen.

Topic: Managing Your Home (3)

Dear Reader,

For you to manage your home effectively, you must be prayerful. It is impossible to manage your home successfully without the tool of effective prayer life.

Consistent heart-felt prayer as a lifestyle enlivens your spirit, keeps you spiritually on fire and enhances your effectiveness in home management. God’s Word says: But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4).

This week, I will be sharing on the tool of effective prayer in the home. Over the years, I have become aware that nothing is either too small or too big to pray about. Prayer is synonymous with power. To be prayerless is to be powerless. The more prayerful you are, the more spiritual power you are able to exercise. Heart-felt prayer always produces undeniable proofs (Acts 4: 23).

Prayer is your communication link with God, your heavenly father. It is a known fact that every strong relationship thrives on the maintenance of a good communication link between the parties involved. In the same vein, prayer enhances the strength of your relationship with God, because it is one of the ways to fellowship with Him. It is one of the means of getting God to intervene in your affairs. What a privilege!

Apostle Paul encourages us to pray without ceasing. In whatever situation you are in, take it to God in prayers. Pray to the Father in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. Nothing is too small to take to God in prayers, after all.  He is your heavenly Father He can do all things. To pay school fees, when house rent is due, in a family member’s ill-health, just in anything, go to God in prayers. Pour out your heart to Him.

The children of Israel cried out to God in the land of bondage, and God heard them (Exodus 3:7-10). God is waiting to hear your voice in prayers, not in worrying or crying. Concerning your job, your children’s behaviour, your spouse’s business, rather than worrying, go to God in prayer. No amount of worry has ever solved any problem, rather, it compounds it. Prayer changes things. A genuine hearty cry to God brings much result (James 5:16). If you are a believer filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, pour out your heart to God in the spirit. Let the Spirit of God help you pray right. It answers like fire. If you are not yet speaking in tongues, seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of this heavenly language.

Prayer is one of the greatest assets a father or mother should not toy with in the home.  It is not optional but mandatory, if you desire to have a successful home.  Never get to a point where your prayer life begins to drag. This could be very dangerous as it could be a sign that you are getting farther from God. This could expose you to the wickedness of your adversary, the devil. It could result in continuous struggles in life, as well as unending breakdowns!

With prayer, you are able to enforce Biblical prophesies (1 Timothy 1: 18), enjoy angelic intervention (Acts 12: 5- 11) and provoke mercy from God (2 Samuel 24: 14). It also enhances your level of consecration (Zechariah 3: 4) and helps you in locating the path of life (Psalm 23: 1, 5).

Your prayer must however be Word-based, i.e. pray in line with the Word of God concerning every issue. Learn to pray for your husband, children, family members and everything. Also, ensure that you maintain a family prayer altar in your home.  Teach your children and family members how to pray. Remember, a family that prays together, stay together!

Learning to pray effective prayer begins with a prayer of salvation. In order to have Jesus in your family is to become a bonafide child of God.  You become a child of God by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.  If you are set for it, please say this prayer:  “Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today acknowledging that I am a sinner who needs Your forgiveness. I believe You died for me and rose again on the third day. Forgive me of my sins, wash me with Your Blood and write my name in the Lamb’s Book of life. Thank You Lord for saving me.”

Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through [email protected]; OR 07026385437 and 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: Come Down! [Wednesday June 21, 2017]

Text: Luke 19:1-10

Key Verse: “And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully” (Luke 19:5,6).

Usually, it is children that do climb up to catch a glimpse of something interesting. Adults hardly climb trees to watch events for the simple fact that they could be made jest of. It is not even common to see short people do so. But on this day, Zacchaeus was determined, no matter the name anybody would call him, to see Jesus in a special way.

It was not just to wave at Jesus, but to make friends with Him. And his effort paid off. Zacchaeus was a rich man of high social status but, smallish in nature. He felt the crowd would pose a hindrance to him because of his short stature. He decided to push beyond his limit by climbing a sycamore tree so that he could see Jesus passing by. Although Zacchaeus saw Jesus from the top of the tree, he could not however, encounter Him from that height. Jesus said to him “Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.” Zacchaeus came down from the height of the sycamore tree to the base of it and entered into a new experience with Jesus.

If you want to be what God has destined you to be; come down from your height with haste! Except you encounter Jesus, your life cannot be meaningful. God is waiting to pick you up at the base. If you decide to remain at your height, Jesus will pass you by. Deep encounters with God belong only to those who are on the ground, and not those who are comfortable on their height. Any Christian or religious experience that does not produce humility in you cannot endure the test of time. Until you fall from your pride, God cannot abide in your life.

Until you come off your high horse, God cannot lift you up into your destiny. God can only bring you into a higher level of living if you are humble.

Thought for the day: Humility is the force that lifts a man from the base of life to the top.

Bible Reading in one Year: Daniel 6-8

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: You Are Love [Wednesday, 21st June 2017]

…as he is, so are we in this world. 1 John 4:17

For the past ten days, we have been looking at the manifestation of the qualities of love in God and how it affects us. But, we know that 1 Corinthians 13, from which we discussed the love qualities of God, is actually talking about us. If God is love, then we are love also, for as He is so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). And if God is all that we have been discussing, then also, we are them. And because God is exhibiting these love qualities to the full, we can also exhibit them to the full.

Don’t forget, He has come to give us life and that we should have this life to the full (John 10:10). This life is a love-life, and we have this love-life to the full. We are love and we are kind, patient, not jealous, not proud or boastful, not selfish, not easily provoked, we don’t keep any record of wrong, glories in justice and truth, never give up, and we love for eternity. Yes, that’s who we are.

We are love because we have the Spirit of love and the very love of God, which are all these stated above, have been shed abroad and intently in our hearts (Romans 5:5). You might not be exhibiting these love qualities to the fullest, you might not even be exhibiting one, but that does not remove the fact that you are love. You just need to believe it and start living the love-life that you have. God is love, so are you. Be love to all. Show them the expression of love and what love truly is. By so doing, you are doing what God would have done if He was present in your stead. Be love.

Keep winning daily.

Prayer:

Thank You Lord for the Your love-life which You have given me. By the working of the Spirit of love in me, I exhibit who I am – Love – to the fullest, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Talent is natural aptitude or skill. This is the simple and precise result you will get when you Google talent. It is something that you can do effortlessly. While some people have discovered their talent at an early age, others are still struggling to find what they are good at. Even though it is important to uncover your talent from the onset, it is never too late. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares ways to unearth your talent and unleash it to the world.

Meditate

You have to take time out to meditate and open your mind to all paths. This is because talent comes in usual and unusual forms. Hence, you are likely to be blind to what some of your talents really are. A nice place to start when evaluating your talents is to meditate.

Listen to others

Your friends or family members are usually aware of your talents even if you don’t. They must have told and complimented you about what you are great at. Try to listen to them more.

What do you find easy

There are things that you do with little or no stress that others find very difficult. That is probably your talent. You should grab it with both hands and try to hone it.

What you enjoy most

Your talents may be displaying itself in other ways. It may come in the form of what you love or enjoy doing especially during your free time. If you are attracted to it, it is your natural talent. You just need to be self-conscious.

Analyse times you were successful

Look back on your life and analyse the times you were successful. Sometimes what you are successful at can actually be your talent.

Subjects you are passionate about

Like earlier stated, talent comes in various form. So, ask yourself, is there a specific subject that you love to talk about to the extent that your friends tell you to shut up or keep quiet? Consider that subject, perhaps it may be one of your hidden talents.

Just ask your friends

Do not be ashamed to ask your close friends you know that will give you an honest answer about what they think your talents are. Jumia Travel adds that there is no need for them to talk about your flaws. Allow them to share the few things that they think you are good at.
Know what you spend your money on

Your values are connected with what you spend your money and time on. Look closer at what this can tell you about yourself. Remember, it must be something good and positive.

By Adeniyi Ogunfowoke
PR Associate at Jumia Travel
+2348090747241

Topic: Put the Word First [Wednesday June 21, 2017]

For skillful and godly Wisdom is the principal thing…. Prize Wisdom highly and exalt her, and she will exalt and promote you; she will bring you to honor when you embrace her. – Proverbs 4:7-8, The Amplified Bible

I want to tell you the only real secret to getting ahead in this world. It’s simple. Put the Word of God first place in your daily life.

“Well,” you may be saying, “I’ve heard that before. It’s no secret.” But when you understand what I mean, it could be a revelation to you.

You see, the Bible is not just a textbook, a storybook or a history book. It’s a handbook for living. It’s the wisdom of Almighty God written down so that you can apply it to your everyday circumstances.

God says that wisdom is the “principal thing.” Principal means “first in importance.” That means the Word of God needs to occupy the place of highest importance in all of your activities. I know from experience what an impact that can have on your life.

Twenty years ago I decided to read the Gospels and the book of Acts three times in 30 days. It seemed an impossible task at the time. With two small children and my house turned upside down from a recent move, I couldn’t see how I could possibly spend that much time reading the Word and still get everything done. But I set myself to put other things aside and do it anyway.

Surprisingly enough, at the end of the first day I had accomplished more than I would have under normal circumstances. And by the end of that 30 days, I’d not only read the Gospels and Acts three times, I’d kept all my housework done, taken care of my children, and refinished several pieces of furniture to boot! I was amazed.

You’ll be amazed at what happens in your life too, if you give God’s Word priority. But let me warn you, don’t wait until you think you have the time. Satan will see to it that you never do.

Just do like I did and set other things aside. Invest your time in the Word first and that investment will soon be paying off in every area of your life.

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 3:1-9

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.