Topic: Burn Always! [Thursday June 22, 2017]

Text: Leviticus 24:1-9

Key Verse: “Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually” (Leviticus 24:2).

God has always maintained a pure relationship with His people. In His dealings with Israel, He has always chosen His words very carefully to ensure they did not muddle up things. The command in the text was explicit enough for the children of Israel and obedience of which would guarantee a closer relationship with God. Every commandment of God is to be obeyed and kept.

The lampstand of seven bowls that gave light to the tabernacle was always to be burning continually, indicating that the work of God on behalf of the people never ceased. The purpose of the shewbread was nourishment for the priest while functioning within the tabernacle. Placed on the shewbread was pure frankincense that signified it to be a memorial before the Lord for His provision for all men. The emphasis on purity, pure oil, pure candlestick, pure table, and pure frankincense signified the attachment the holy God places on holiness and purity. That the candlestick must burn continually typifies the life of a heaven-bound Christian who must serve God continuously in holiness, all the days of his or her life. At the point of salvation, a believer enters into an everlasting covenant with God. From that moment, his light of righteousness is expected to keep burning all through life.

No matter the challenges in life, you must continue to burn for Christ. Have you ever wondered how the tender tip of a young plant finds its way out of the soil? It takes persistence for a seed to endure the breaking-up process in order to take another form suitable for germination, to contest, assert and realise its destination through the myriads of sand particles in the soil texture of which some are hard, rocky or soft, to burrow out of the soil for a new life of growth and development which eventually culminates in fruitfulness. You must continue to make progress in your Christian life for therein lies the pathway to eternal glory.

Thought for the day: Only purity of life guarantees everlasting covenant with God.

Bible Reading in one Year: Daniel 9-10

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.

Topic: Expect a Harvest [Thursday June 22, 2017]

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. – Luke 6:38

Give and it shall be given unto you. That statement came straight from the mouth of Jesus. Yet there are a great many believers who flatly refuse to believe it. In fact, they actually have the mistaken idea that it’s wrong to expect to receive when they give.

The truth is—it’s wrong not to!

What would you think about a farmer who planted seeds, then let his crop rot in the field? You’d think he was a fool, wouldn’t you? And if he did it when others were starving, you’d think he was criminally irresponsible.

Well, it’s just as irresponsible to give financial seeds and ignore the harvest God promised. Especially when that harvest could help send the gospel to people who are starving to hear it. It’s just as wrong to ignore the key to prosperity that Jesus Himself gave us as it is to let a wheat crop rot in the field.

God wants us to receive from the financial seeds that we plant. He wants us to be prepared to require no aid ourselves and to be “furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation” (2 Corinthians 9:8, The Amplified Bible). He wants us to have plenty—not so we can hoard it selfishly—but so we can give generously.

Next time you give, don’t be afraid to expect a harvest! Release your faith for the financial rewards Jesus promised. Then, when they come, turn right around and plant them again. Keep the flow of giving and receiving going so that the Lord can bless the world through you!

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Topic: Why God Gives Revelations In Piecemeal [Thursday June 22, 2017]

Scripture: He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night. Job 20:8 (KJV)

Thought For The Day: Disobedience is the reason behind people’s inability to hear God.

Yesterday, we looked at the mode and method of Divine operations. We understood that God does not reveal His plans to His children at once but in bits. He does so line by line and precept by precept.

The question is, why does God not reveal all of His purpose to His children at once?

Consider the three reasons below:

1. God wants us to take one step at a time in life

One can easily fall if one takes too many steps at once. In order to avoid a fall, God reveals things bit by bit so that you can take a step at a time.

2. God wants to confirm your obedience

God does not speak to disobedient people. Disobedience is the reason behind people’s inability to hear God; they have not obeyed the last instruction God gave them, yet they want to have more. So, God gives you revelations in bits and pieces in order to confirm your obedience.

3. God wants you to maintain permanent dependence on Him.

God does not want you to come to a point where you do not need Him anymore. He gives you revelations in piecemeal so that you can maintain permanent dependence on Him.

Beloved, ask God for the grace to take one step at a time and to be obedient and dependent on Him.

Remember this: Disobedience is the reason behind people’s inability to hear God.

Assignment(s):

1. Make up your mind to take a step at a time.

2. Ask God for forgiveness in all areas of disobedience to Him and make up your mind to obey Him henceforth.

3. Maintain the attitude of dependence on God.

Prayer: O LORD, I ask for the grace for absolute obedience and dependence on You. Help me, LORD, to take one step at a time in the journey of my life and destiny, Lord in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: MAXIMIZING YOUR LIFE.

Daily Reading: 2 Kings 3:1 to 4:17, Acts 14:8 to 28, Psalm 140:1 to 13, Proverbs 17:22.

Quote: No man hears from God and runs into trouble. Culled from 30 SECRETS TO THE TOP by Dr Paul Enenche.

Amazing Fact: A chameleon can move its eyes in two directions at the same time.

Today In History: 22/06/1874 – Lydia Baxter wrote this Farewell hymn, “Take the name of Jesus with you”

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: Sickness Is Not From God [Thursday June 22, 2017]

John 9:2 “And his disciples asked him saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?”

John 9:1-4

The disciples asked a question that still puzzles many people today. Why is a child born with a physical defect? Is it a judgment of God upon the parents for some sin, or is it possibly God’s judgment upon the child for sins that God knows he will commit?

Jesus Himself had previously linked sickness with sin. In this instance, however, Jesus said this blindness was not caused by this man’s or his parents’ sins.

This has led many people to interpret the rest of this verse as saying that God made this man blind just so that He could heal him and be glorified thereby. From this thinking, many doctrinal teachings have risen about how sickness and other problems in our lives are actually blessings from God, intended to bring glory to God and correction to us. This reasoning, however, does not line up with the other truths of God’s Word.

It was not God who made this beggar blind. This man was not born blind because of any one person’s sins but because sin in general had corrupted the perfect balance that God had created in nature. Therefore, some maladies happen, not as a direct result of an individual’s sins but as an indirect result of sin in general.

Deuteronomy 28 settles forever the question of whether sickness, poverty, and oppression are really blessings in disguise. God says that sickness and poverty are curses – not blessings from God. Christ redeemed us from these curses of the law so that now the blessings may come upon us through Him (Galatians 3:13). God’s curses have been placed on Jesus and removed from those who accept Jesus’ sacrifice. You are blessed!

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: The Most Unique Person [Thursday June 22, 2017]

Worthy is the Lamb . . . to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. — Revelation 5:12

H.G. Wells wrote, “Christ is the most unique person of history. No man can write a history of the human race without giving first and foremost place to the penniless teacher of Nazareth.” Rabbi Stephen Wise said concerning Jesus, “You will find that He is divinely human. It is no mean joy to us of the house of Israel to recognize, to honor and to cherish among our brethren, Jesus the Jew, who has influenced the world more than any other man.” This person called Jesus lived on earth for only 33 years.

He never traveled more than 100 miles from His home. Yet Charles Lamb was right in saying, “If all the illustrious men of history were gathered together and Shakespeare should enter their presence, they would rise to do him honor; but if Jesus Christ should come in, they would fall down and worship Him.”

Prayer for the day: Loving Lord Jesus, I would honor You this day and evermore—in adoration I worship You, my Savior and my Lord.

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: 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.