Topic: Dealing With Storms of Life [Thursday June 15, 2017]

Storms are real

Storms are inevitable

Storms are vital elements of life

Storms are necessary occurrences of life

Storms will come whether you are prepared for them of not.

Do not fight storms

Do not react to them

Rather respond to them

Take advantage of them

Do not see them as your enemies but as companions to your destiny.

Do not fight storm but harness its power and strength to advance your destiny.

Do not make noise at storm but quietly glide through and over it into your destiny.

You cannot fight storm

Sail above it with grace and control.

In dealing with storms of life you need a combination of (courage) and (calmness).

Courage to face it and calmness to manaover and control it.

Courage and calmness are both combination of virtues derived from the (power) and (guidance) of the Holy Spirit respectively.

When you are empowered you’ll become courageous and fearless and when you are guided, you’ll become strangely and unusually calm.

These two virtues are essentially access through faith in the Word, prayer coupled with fasting and praise.

Eph.6:18; 1 Tim.6:12, Is.40:28-31

Topic: Just Obey [Thursday June 15, 2017]

But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated. — 1 Corinthians 2:14 AMPC

Many non-Christians don’t really understand the Gospel. This isn’t a new thing that is unique to our day. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he pointed out that the Greeks thought it was foolish. And to the natural mind, it is. God sent Jesus, the sinless One, to earth for the express purpose of dying for wicked, sinful people. To unbelievers that is foolish. The natural man cannot understand the power of the Gospel—it can only be “spiritually discerned.”

This is just as true in daily living. Sometimes God speaks to us, and if we try to explain it to people who don’t know Jesus, it doesn’t make sense. For example, I remember one couple that went to Africa as missionaries. They had no denomination or large church behind them, providing support. They sold everything they owned, including their wedding rings.

“Their wedding rings?” a skeptical relative asked. “You mean God wouldn’t provide for you, so you had to do it yourself?”

The wife smiled. “No, I think we had to decide if comfort and having things like everyone else was more important than serving Jesus.” The couple never doubted they were doing the right thing, but it never made sense to the skeptical relative.

It is difficult for many people to hear God speak and to obey without question. But Jesus did just that—and not only on the cross. John 4 relates the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. What most modern readers don’t get is the introduction to the story: It was necessary for Him to go through Samaria (John 4:4 AMPC). Jesus had been in Jerusalem, and He wanted to go north to Galilee. The country of the Samaritans was in between, but Jesus didn’t have to take the route that passed that way. He could have taken another route and avoided going through Samaria. Most Jews avoided going through Samaria because they hated the Samaritans for mixing and marrying with people from other nations.

But Jesus went to Samaria, even though it wasn’t what we would have called the normal or reasonable thing to do. He went because there was a woman—and eventually a whole village—that needed to hear the message that only He could deliver.

The natural people—those whose minds have not been enlightened by the Holy Spirit—scoff at us. What we do doesn’t always make sense to them. But then, who says our actions have to make sense? The biblical principle is that the natural or carnal mind doesn’t understand spiritual things. Too often, a thought comes to us that we push aside, saying, “This doesn’t make any sense,” and we actually ignore divine guidance. It’s true, of course, that the devil can flood our minds with wild thoughts, but if we pray and open ourselves to the Spirit, we soon know the difference.

Consider the story of Peter who had fished all night and caught nothing. Jesus, a carpenter, came along and told him, a professional fisherman, Put out into the deep [water], and lower your nets for a haul (Luke 5:4 AMPC).

Peter reasoned with Jesus, reminding Him that they had worked all night and caught nothing. But to his credit, Peter, exhausted from a long and unsuccessful night’s work, heard the Lord. I’ll say it again, Peter heard the Lord and said, …But on the ground of Your word, I will lower the nets [again] (v. 5). And Peter was not disappointed. They caught so many fish that the nets almost broke.

This is an important principle of obedience that we must grasp: obey instead of reasoning. Or as one of my friends calls it, “The Nevertheless Principle.” She says that sometimes she feels God leading her to do things that don’t always make a lot of sense. When she hears herself expressing that sentiment, she quickly adds, “Nevertheless.” Then she obeys.

That is really all God asks of us: to obey instead of reasoning.

Wise and wonderful God, sometimes things don’t make sense to me, but nevertheless, I want to be in Your will. Help me to develop spiritual discernment, and don’t let me miss a divine opportunity to serve You. Teach me to trust You more, and help me to obey You quickly instead of trying to reason things out. Thank You for hearing me today. Amen.

Topic: One Sound, Two Messages [Thursday 15, June 2017]

Memorise: And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people; – Psalm 105:44

Read: 2 Kings 7:1-11 (KJV)

1 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.

2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.

3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.

4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.

5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.

6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.

7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.

9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.

10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.

11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?

Bible in One Year: Judges 1-2, Jeremiah 49:14-27, Hymn: Sing hymn 4

MESSAGE:

A sound from Heaven is all you need to turn a very hopeless situation into a glorious one. We have an example of this in today’s Bible reading. One lesson here is that whenever things deteriorate to their worst level; know that a turning point is around the corner. Don’t cry, just worship God and thank Him in the midst of the difficulty, asking Him to show you what to do to turn things around. Also, from this story, we see that God can release one sound from Heaven and while His children hear something positive, their enemies would hear something else. Things were so bad in Samaria because there was no more food, to the extent that some women began to eat their own children to survive. Have things gone so bad for you that to afford a meal you would have to sell some of your property? There is a user of this Devotional, because things have gone so bad, you have virtually sold all your properties in order to survive. The Lord is turning your situation around now. Within the next 90 days, all the things you have sold shall be replaced with better ones. When this comes to pass in your life, endeavour to testify of it before the congregation of God’s people.

It was in the midst of hopelessness that a sound came from heaven through Elisha, declaring that within 24 hours, abundance would replace lack. Literarily speaking, it meant that within 24 hours, there would be so much food that it would be almost free. Responding to that prophecy which they didn’t even hear, some four lepers decided to take their chances by going to the camp of the besieging army to see if they would pity them and give them some food. As they went, the noise from their feet was taken up to Heaven, amplified and released into the camp of the enemy. So what happened? While God’s people heard that abundance would swallow up their acute lack with 24 hours, the enemies heard the sound of a very mighty army coming to surround them and wipe them out completely. They fled immediately and left behind everything they had, which became available to God’s people almost free. This season, all your enemies holding back your blessings shall hear a sound from Heaven and leave you everything that is yours alone! I speak abundance into your life now in Jesus’ Name! If there is any siege that has surrounded your life for so long, hindering your progress, I command it to be lifted now in Jesus’ Name. Receive freedom to expand your coast from today in Jesus Mighty Name. It is well with you!

Prayer Point: Father, as You speak peace to me, speak trouble and war to my enemies.

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.

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: Jesus Took Our Sins Away [15/06/2017]

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12. Read: Isa 53:1-11

In John 1:29, the Bible says, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”. The sinless Lamb of God paid for the the virus called sin Satan infused in man at the garden of Eden in Genesis 3. Though, God has provided a way out for sin to be removed, it is up to the individual to appropriate the remedy provided by God through the blood of Jesus. Sin is not to have dominion over us, rather, we’re to exercise authority over sin because we’re not under the law but under grace. Rom 6:14.

In Lk 22:42, knowing the agony and the gravity of the sin of the world He wanted to bear upon Himself, He pleaded with His Father to take away the cup from Him, He said if I must drink it, Your will be done. Right on the cross, after He had drank Vinegar, He declared “It is finished” which means, all your sins and challenges is finished. You don’t need to be dominated by any of life challenges, you are to be in charge, but you must come to the one that has paid for your sins and surrender to Him. You can’t rule and reign in life without Jesus. Jesus is the scepter of your dominion in life.

#BiblePromisesPrayer

* *Father, thank You for sending Your Son to die for my sin and to save me from all Satanic harassment. Today, I surrender my all to you. Amen*

Topic: Wiser Counsel [Thursday June 15, 2017]

Text: Proverbs 23:26-35

Key Verse: “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways” (Proverbs 23:26).

When a child is growing up, he feels he has more understanding and exposure than his parents. A test of submission was given to Jesus during His earthly ministry as He was made to receive instructions from Mary and Joseph. Yet, He obliged them. From the text, it is obvious that these biblical injunctions are beyond Solomon, for a greater than Solomon is seen behind the letters.

The heart of a wicked man is of little worth. Satan has possession of it, fills it, influences and draws it at his pleasure; the world is set in it and there is no room for any other. Sensual lusts and pleasures, whoredom and wine take away the heart not filled with the love of Christ. Christ should have the hearts and affection of His people.

He only is to be loved with the whole heart, sincerely, and above all things else. A broken and a contrite heart is not despised by Him, rather, He binds it up, purifies it by faith in His blood, puts His Spirit within, and writes His laws therein so as to know Him, fear Him and love Him. The counsel of the father to the son is that he should run away from a whore, for a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit. She may be compared to the filthiness of her whoredoms, and for her insatiable lust, as well as for her being never satisfied with what she receives from her lovers.

She is as a bottomless ditch into which those that fall are ever sinking deeper and deeper. Taking to the counsel of God fully without reservation is profitable. If you decide to follow your friend’s counsel by ignoring the counsel of God, it shows you have made up your mind to walk on the path of self-management. What a dangerous and a damning path to tread!

Thought for the day: In the midst of godly counsellors, there is safety.

Bible Reading in one Year: Job 26-30

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: The Bond of Peace [Thursday June 15, 2017]

Read: Ephesians 4:1–6, Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 1–3; Acts 2:1–21

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:3

After I confronted my friend by email over a matter on which we had differed, she didn’t respond. Had I overstepped? I didn’t want to worsen the situation by pestering her, but neither did I want to leave things unresolved before she went on a trip overseas. As she popped into my mind throughout the following days, I prayed for her, unsure of the way forward. Then one morning I went for a walk in our local park and saw her, pain etched on her face as she glimpsed me. “Thank You, Lord, that I can talk to her,” I breathed as I approached her with a welcoming smile. We talked openly and were able to resolve matters.

Sometimes when hurt or silence intrudes on our relationships, mending them seems out of our control. But as the apostle Paul says in his letter to the church at Ephesus, we are called to work for peace and unity through God’s Spirit, donning the garments of gentleness, humility, and patience as we seek God’s healing in our relationships. The Lord yearns for us to be united, and through His Spirit He can bring His people together—even unexpectedly when we go walking in the park.

God desires unity among believers.

Have you experienced an unexpected encounter that revealed God working in a situation? How might you work toward peace and unity today?

God desires unity among believers.

Insight:

When Paul wrote his New Testament letter to followers of Christ in Ephesus, he wrote out of his own experience. When he urged his readers to work through their disagreements with humility, gentleness, and patience, he knew that it takes more than personal resolve. He had once lived with a head full of knowledge and a heart running on empty. As Paul wrote to men and women who had hurt one another with anger, lies, and bitterness (Eph. 4:25–32), he helped them see beyond their own blind spots. He wanted them to know that learning to love one another isn’t something we can do through our own ability. He asked the Spirit of God to reach deep into their hearts and open their eyes to God’s immeasurable love for them (3:14–19) and reminded them that even when we can’t see the way forward—and back to one another—there is a Spirit who can do far more for us than we could ever ask or think (v. 20).

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

Topic: The Preservation Power of Sacrifice [Thursday June 15, 2017]

Scripture: The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice. Psalm 20:1.

Thought For The Day: A sacrificial man is too dangerous to be dared, too rugged to be routed, too protected to be confronted, and too surrounded by fire to surrender.

It has been established that sacrifice has preservative power. There are scriptural examples of people who sacrificed and were later preserved by their sacrifice when confronted with life-threatening situations. In our study today, we shall consider the example of Samuel.

Samuel lived a sacrificial life in all his days. God used him to save the nation of Israel by the power of sacrifice (1 Samuel 7:10).

There was a time when God told Samuel to anoint a king over Israel from the house of Jesse, even though Saul was still on the throne. Samuel was afraid that Saul would kill him if he heard that another king was anointed. So, God told him to take a heifer for sacrifice.

God was making Samuel to know that sacrifice has the power to preserve his life from being destroyed by Saul.

That is, if he sheds the blood of an animal, his own blood could not be shed by anyone.

Sacrifices avert death. A sacrificial man is too dangerous to be dared, too rugged to be routed, too protected to be confronted, and too surrounded by fire to surrender.

Beloved, do not be a superficial Christian; be a sacrificial one.

Remember this: A sacrificial man is too dangerous to be dared, too rugged to be routed, too protected to be confronted, and too surrounded by fire to surrender.

Assignment (s):

1. Make up your mind to live a sacrificial life.

2. Ask God to break every power of mammon in your life.

Prayer: O LORD, I ask for the baptism of selfless sacrifice. Help me LORD, to sacrifice totally and consistently, LORD, in Jesus’ Name.

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

Daily Reading: 1 Kings 14:1 to 15:24 Acts 10:1 to 23, Psalm 133:1 to 3, Proverbs 17:7 to 8.

Quote: There is no greatness without responsibility. Culled from 30 SECRETS TO THE TOP by Dr Paul Enenche.

Amazing Fact: Wearing earphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.

Today In History: 15/6/1752 – Benjamin Franklin proved that lightning was electricity,

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: Cast Your Cares on Him [Thursday June 15, 2017]

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. – 1 Peter 5:6

When I first learned to cast my cares on the Lord, I was down in south Texas preaching a meeting that no one was coming to. I’m telling you, people were staying away from that meeting by the thousands; and after a service or two with just the preacher, one or two others and me in attendance, I was starting to sweat it. But the Lord said, Cast that care on Me, so I did.

I started walking around grinning and whistling. I told the devil, “I’m not going to frown or have one worried thought. I came here to preach and that’s what I’m going to do, and it’s God’s business whether anyone shows up or not. I couldn’t care less!”

I went around so happy I felt downright foolish. The devil said, “What’s the matter with you? Don’t you even have sense enough to worry over something like this?” I suppose people were saying, “I guess he’s too dumb to worry. I think it’s because he’s never been to seminary. He can’t tell a landslide from a flop.”

But I told the Lord, “I have my care rolled over on You, and if no one shows up but that one dear old woman, she’s going to be the most preached-up old woman in the state of Texas because I’m going to preach just the same as if there were a crowd.”

I didn’t realize then what was happening, but that carefreeness put me in a noncompromising position with the devil. He couldn’t get to me anymore. He couldn’t get me in fear and unbelief anymore. He couldn’t pressure me and get me to compromise because I didn’t care. I’d given all my care to God!

Are you ready to be free of care? If you are, just make this confession of faith:

“I’m a believer. I’m not a doubter. The Word works in me. And at this moment, I humble myself under the mighty hand of God. I cast all my care over on Him. From this moment forward, I refuse to worry. Instead, I will pray. I will use my faith and believe, and He’ll exalt me over the problem and over the devil. For I belong to Jesus and He cares for me!”

Scripture Reading: Psalm 55:16-22

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: Mystery of the Trinity [Thursday June 15, 2017]

John 8:19 “Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.”

John 8:12-27

The scriptures teach Jesus’ oneness with the Father. This oneness is more than singleness of purpose and actually denotes “a single one to the exclusion of others” as in the statement, “There is one God” (1 Tim. 2:5).

This truth is so well established in scripture that some people make no distinction between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit but believe they are simply one God expressing Himself in three different ways. However, Jesus makes a distinction between Himself and His Father here and uses Himself and His Father as two different witnesses to fulfill the requirement of Deuteronomy 17:6. Jesus would have been deceiving these Jews if there was no distinction between His Father and Himself; and yet, they are one (Jn. 10:30; 1 Jn. 5:7). This is a great mystery and yet a very well established fact in scripture.

One of the great statements of the Old Testament from Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “The Lord our God is one Lord.” We do not have three Gods, but one God, clearly identifiable as three persons. This is a great mystery, which has not been adequately explained. Scriptures reveal the truth of the Trinity, but make no attempt to explain it. We simply accept this revelation as it is, until we know all things, even as we are known (1 Cor. 13:12).

Jesus said that the witness of His Father was the greatest testimony of who He was. Everyone can hear His testimony of Jesus through the scriptures.

Moses and all the Old Testament prophets spoke of the coming of Jesus, and Peter said the written word of God was a more sure word of prophecy than the audible voice of God. Read the Word today.

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: Practice Good Stewardship [Thursday June 15, 2017]

Redeeming the time . . .  — Ephesians 5:16

We are stewards of our time. God has given each one of us a little “chunk of eternity” called time. These golden moments of opportunity are doled out to us for our benefit and for God’s glory. If we use them wisely, they are woven by God’s omnipotent hand into the fabric of eternity. Henry Thoreau cautioned, “You cannot kill time without injuring eternity.” “He who has no vision of eternity,” said Carlyle, “has no hold on time.” “Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last” is the sentiment of every man who desires to be a good steward of his time. We are entrusted with a small portion of the capital of time. If we invest it wisely, it will pay dividends throughout eternity.

Prayer for the day: Take away my procrastinating nature—how easy it is for me to waste time. I want to be able to leave a legacy of time spent for You, Lord, because that is eternal.

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.