Topic: How to be Happy in Your Home (2)

Dear Reader,

It is a wonderful time in God’s presence. Last week, I started sharing with you on how you can be happy in your home. This week, I will be teaching on Hospitality: the Gateway to a Happy Home.

What is Hospitality?

Hospitality is the friendly, generous reception and entertainment of guests or strangers, especially in one’s home. It is the willingness to share, with discernment, what God has given you. This includes sharing your home, finances and food with others. Hospitality is an attitude of stewardship, knowing fully well that you do not own anything but you are merely the caretaker and God is the real owner.

He desires that you share His love with others, and all these must be done in reverence and gratitude to Him. Likewise, in relationships, you can be hospitable yet honour the boundaries of others; sharing all you have without strings attached. This will convince them that you are a Christian thereby leading to the growth of the Church. The Word of God says: Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2).

Hospitality also enables you contribute to the development and growth of your family, friends, and fellow Christians; it is the door to discipleship. Without hospitality, discipleship will be limited because it is an integral part of the Great Commission that Christ gave us as a Church. (Matthew 28:18-20). You must be willing to go beyond your defined needs, comforts, and ideals to provide an environment that contributes to the physical and spiritual growth of people around you. Furthermore, we must understand that hospitality is not a gift; rather, it is a call to us all!

One of the most important calls that Christ gave His church is to show hospitality towards people. We are His ambassadors who He uses as His welcoming arms to draw people from outside into His presence! He is the Seeker; we are the ones He seeks, and sometimes we are the ones He uses to seek others (It is God’s desire that all His children be saved, yet it is only a few that accepts His grace). It is the role of the Holy Spirit to save people, and we are the instruments through which He works. So, we must be a church that welcomes not only believers, but also those who may never have been inside a church before. This ministry of hospitality is about being His ambassador on the earth.

As a single person, you can also be hospitable. Rebecca was a perfect example of hospitality. When Abraham’s servant came to Mesopotamia to take a wife for Isaac, he said a prayer to God:…Let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down your pitcher, I pray you, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give your camels drink also: let the same be she that you have appointed for your servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that you have showed kindness to my master (Genesis 24:14). Abraham’s servant knew that Isaac belonged to a hospitality addicted family. Thus, he prayed for a kind and hospitable wife for him.  He knew that any woman who would offer water to a stranger and his camels would be a hospitable person. The criteria for his choice were not based on possessions, height, beauty or education; but a warm and loving heart.

Singles who are hospitable will certainly welcome their life partners unknowingly. Do you believe God for a life partner? How hospitable are you? The choice is yours!

Let brotherly love be the reason for reaching out to others (Romans 12:10/13). Brotherly love makes hospitality easy, it makes you want to reach out to others and give them a helping hand and it is also what makes you want to share what you have with others. This was the strength of the first century church; no one had a need among them. Those who had, eagerly distributed to others who had none; they shared all things in common (Acts 2:44-45). As a result of this display of brotherly love, God’s power was evident in their midst. You need to be sold out to hospitality; it’s the path to God’s presence in your marriage and home.

However, the grace to be hospitable is available when you give your life to Christ. You do this by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour. If you want to receive this grace, could you please say this prayer of faith with me? “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me 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: Consider the Clouds [Tuesday June 13, 2017]

Read: Job 37:1–16, Bible in a Year: Ezra 6–8; John 21

Do you know how the clouds hang poised? Job 37:16

One day many years ago my boys and I were lying on our backs in the yard watching the clouds drift by. “Dad,” one asked, “why do clouds float?” “Well, son,” I began, intending to give him the benefit of my vast knowledge, but then I lapsed into silence. “I don’t know,” I admitted, “but I’ll find out for you.”

The answer, I discovered, is that condensed moisture, descending by gravity, meets warmer temperatures rising from the land. That moisture then changes into vapor and ascends back into the air. That’s a natural explanation for the phenomenon.

We are amazed at You, wonderful Creator, as we look at Your world. We praise you!

But natural explanations are not final answers. Clouds float because God in His wisdom has ordered the natural laws in such a way that they reveal the “wonders of him who has perfect knowledge” (Job 37:16). Clouds then can be thought of as a symbol—an outward and visible sign of God’s goodness and grace in creation.

So someday when you’re taking some time to see what images you can imagine in the clouds, remember this: The One who made all things beautiful makes the clouds float through the air. He does so to call us to wonder and adoration. The heavens—even the cumulus, stratus, and cirrus clouds—declare the glory of God.

Prayer: We are amazed at You, wonderful Creator, as we look at Your world. You deserve all the praise our hearts can give and so much more!

Creation is filled with signs that point to the Creator.

Insight:

“The heavens declare the glory of God” (Ps. 19:1). The word glory is often misunderstood. In Psalm 19:1, the Hebrew word for glory is kabod, meaning “weight, significance.” God’s eternal significance is seen in the fact that He brought a universe into existence! In the New Testament, the Greek term for glory is doxa, which speaks of honor, dignity, or praise. The God who created the universe and sent His Son for our rescue is to be praised because of who He is and because of all He has done.

As you observe God’s created world today, what evokes a spirit of worship and praise?

This message was written By David H. Roper [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: Blessings by the Bushel [Tuesday June 13, 2017]

And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you. – Mark 4:24

How many blessings are you going to receive from the Word of God? It depends on how many you expect to receive. When God measures them out to you, He’ll be using your measuring stick, not His own. He always works that way.

Two people can hear God’s Word about healing, for example. One will measure it with faith. “Praise God, by His stripes I was healed!” he’ll say. “I believe that with all my heart, and I’m going to keep on believing it until I receive my healing.”

The other will measure it with skepticism. “I don’t care what Bible verses he comes up with,” he’ll say. “I just don’t trust that preacher. I’ll give this healing stuff a try, but I doubt very much if anything’s going to come of it.”

Both of those people will get exactly what they expect. God will measure to them just as they measured the Word. One will get healed…the other won’t.

I must warn you though, sometimes measuring the Word with faith is hard. Years ago, when Gloria first read the scripture, “Owe no man anything,” it was tempting for her to measure it as a curse, not a blessing. We were living in a terrible little house at the time, and she wanted a new one more than just about anything.

How were we ever going to buy a decent house without borrowing? It didn’t seem possible. So, to her, it was as if that scripture had said, “Gloria, you can’t have a new house.”

But she refused to measure it that way. She grabbed the devil by the throat and said, “Look here now, you’re not going to cheat me out of my house.” Then she started believing that somehow God could provide her with a house debt free. Sure enough, He did.

If you want to receive blessings by the bushel load, start going to the Word with a bushel basket. Put a big measure of faith in the hand of God. He’ll fill it to overflowing and give it right back to you!

Scripture Reading: Luke 8:1-18

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: Effortless Fruit [Tuesday June 13, 2017]

John 7:38 “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

John 7:37-41

These rivers of living water are referring to the Holy Spirit and the effects He produces in the life of the believer. Galatians 5:22-23 says, “the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” These qualities should flow out of us as an artesian well. They should not have to be pumped. They will flow as we conform our thinking to God’s Word.

Jesus speaks of bearing fruit in John 15 and declares that “. . . without me ye can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). This fruit is the product of the Holy Spirit, not our effort. However, since “he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit” (1 Cor. 6:17), then this fruit of the Spirit is also what our born- again spirit produces. Our spirit always has these attributes regardless of what we feel in our emotions. Failure to understand this has caused many Christians to think they would be hypocrites to express joy when the truth is, they are depressed. However, it’s only our soulish part that gets depressed. Our spirit is always bearing the fruit of “love, joy, peace, etc.”

For a person who is seeking to walk in the Spirit, it is actually hypocritical to let our soulish emotions dominate our spiritual emotions. The truth is, our spirit is never depressed, just our soul. Those who understand this have the choice of letting their soul depress them or letting the Holy Spirit, through their born-again spirit, release the joy and peace spoken of here.

The “fruit” is not produced by the believer, but by the Holy Spirit, as we live in union with Him. Our part is to yield and trust; God’s part is to produce the fruit.

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 “How-To” Of Discipline [Tuesday June 13, 2017]

Text: 2 Corinthians 2:1-11

Key Verse: “So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow” (2 Corinthians 2:7).

A. W. Tozer, in ‘Men Who Met God’, wrote: “We must face the fact that many today are notoriously careless in their living. This attitude finds its way into the church. We have liberty, we have money, we live in comparative luxury. As a result, discipline practically has disappeared. What would a violin solo sound like if the strings on the musician’s instrument were all hanging loose, not stretched tight, not “disciplined”? From our text, we see Paul the Apostle asking the Corinthian church to forgive and restore the man earlier placed on discipline for incest with his father’s wife.

A lot must have happened between the time of the first epistle and this second one that warranted the change of attitude. Paul emphasised the need to restore those under church discipline as soon as they realise their faults, obtain forgiveness from God and have a complete change of attitude with the restoration of grace, lest they become too sorrowful. There are two extremes when considering the subject of church discipline. One is to not put erring member on discipline at all in the name of preaching the love of God; this will incur the displeasure of God and bring about a reproach on the church. God will be obliged to punish both the offender and those who failed to call him to order.

The other extreme is to impose severe discipline that is not commensurate to the offence committed and not calling off the discipline even when the offender had apparently repented and made his or her ways right. As leaders and brethren in the church of God, we must always remember that the reason for church discipline is to correct and bring the erring member back to fellowship with Christ. Discipline should be done in love and concern for the spiritual welfare of the member in question.

Thought for the day: Disciplining with grace makes for balanced discipleship.

Bible Reading in one Year: Job 19-21

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: Controlling Your Passion [Tuesday June 13, 2017]

Scripture: And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hear it, he will kill me… 1 Samuel 16:2.

Thought For The Day: Until you are able to control your emotion, you cannot control your motion.

It has been established one of the reasons many people lose out in destiny is the inability to control their passion.

A typical example of this was King Saul. When God told Samuel to anoint someone from the family of Jesse as king, Samuel was afraid and told God that if Saul heard it, he would kill him. This was because King Saul was a man of uncontrollable temperament. Saul was a man who could kill a prophet out of anger; this was why he lost his destiny.

Beloved, until you have control over your passion, you lose control of your destiny; until you can control your emotion, you cannot control your motion; until you take charge of your flesh, you cannot take charge of your destiny.

It is sad to note that there are many people who are under the control of the flesh. There are people who are always under pressure to quarrel. This is a pathway of losing out in destiny.

My counsel is, make up your mind to put your passion under control in order to maximise your destiny.

Remember this: Until you are able to control your emotion, you cannot control your motion.

Assignment(s):

1. Never allow the flesh to take the driver’s seat of your life and destiny’
2. Deny every manifestation of the flesh in your life.
3. Receive grace to be controlled by the Spirit of God.

Prayer: O LORD, I ask for the grace to put my flesh under control. Help me to forgive everyone that has offended me, LORD, in Jesus’ Name.

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

Daily Reading: 1 Kings 11:1 to 12:19, Acts 9:1 to 25, Psalm 131:1 to 3, Proverbs 17:4 to 5

Quote: God cannot do anything serious with someone whose character is out of order. Culled from 30 SECRETS TO THE TOP by Dr Paul Enenche.

Amazing Fact: Blue whales can live up to 90 years in the wild.

Today In History: 13/06/1793 – William Carey, pioneer Baptist missionary who was referred to as “the father of the modern missionary movement”, sailed for India.

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: Believe in the Holy Spirit [Tuesday June 13, 2017]

. . . I [have] raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee . . . — Romans 9:17

Walter Knight tells the story about a little boy who had recently received Christ. “Daddy, how can I believe in the Holy Spirit when I have never seen Him?” asked Jim. “I’ll show you how,” said his father, who was an electrician. Later Jim went with his father to the power plant where he was shown the generators. “This is where the power comes from to heat our stove and to give us light. We cannot see the power, but it is in that machine and in the power lines,” said the father. “I believe in electricity,” said Jim. “Of course you do,” said his father, “but you don’t believe in it because you see it. You believe in it because you see what it can do. Likewise, you can believe in the Holy Spirit because you can see what He does in people’s lives when they are surrendered to Christ and possess His power.”

Prayer for the day: Make my heart completely devoid of self so that it can be filled with Your Spirit, 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: When You Move, Mountains Are Removed! [Monday June 12, 2017]

The fact that you have set goals for yourself in the year 2012 and have even made plans towards the achievement of those goals does not cancel the possibilities of encountering oppositions on your way. Apostle Paul said, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor 16:9). Every door that God opens to you will naturally attract adversaries. It is your action or inaction that determines whether you will enter to possess your possessions or not.

When the Israelites were face to face with the Red Sea, God said to Moses, “Tell my people to go forward,” and as they began to move forward, the sea saw them and fled (Psalm 114:3). The devil is a coward, the only thing he is waiting for is your action. He is not afraid of your vision or your plans, he is only bothered when you begin to take steps. That is why his greatest success against most believers is fear of the unknown. He tells them, “Hey, don’t move! If you invest now, you will lose all your money! What if you take that step and it doesn’t work?” So, they become rooted to the spot, wishing and hoping that something would happen some day.

When the prodigal son said, “I will arise and go to my father”, satan knew he was serious so he cleared off the way and the young man arose and came to his father. The most amazing thing about that story is that, as the son began to take steps, the Bible says, his father saw him afar off and also arose from home. So, they met on the way and the young man was restored to dignity (Luke 15:17-20). When you begin to take steps your blessings begin to move closer to you.

Topic: The Truth About Willpower [Monday June 12, 2017]

“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the LORD of hosts. — Zechariah 4:6 NKJV

Willpower can be a powerful tool in the hands of a determined, disciplined individual. It can help you confront any problem you have and adjust your lifestyle. However, willpower only takes us so far and then we always run out of our own strength.

Now, what happens if, instead of turning first to willpower in your time of need, you turn to God? God releases His power into you and enables you to go all the way through to victory. Now you’re energized for positive change, but willpower does not get the credit for our success, God does.

Jesus said in John 15:5 (NASB), Apart from Me you can do nothing. This is one of the most important and most difficult lessons we must learn if we want to enjoy the life Jesus died to give us. When we turn to anything or anyone before God, He is insulted and is obligated to let us fail so we will realize that except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it (Psalm 127:1 AMPC).

We must learn to let God do the heavy lifting. Let Him supply the ability to energize our choices. We can choose to exercise or stop overeating, but our choice alone is not enough for complete victory. Willpower and determination will get us started, but they’ve been known to quit in the middle and leave us stranded. God never quits in the middle.

There are some people in the world who claim to be a self-made success, but if we follow their lives all the way through, they usually end up falling apart. God has not created us to function well without Him, and the sooner we learn that the better off we will be.

Start by asking God to get involved, to do the heavy lifting. Continue on with God and finish with God. What should we do when the burdens in life seem too heavy? Jesus said, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28 NIV).

Trust in Him: Who/what is the first thing you turn to when you need to overcome a problem? Whatever “that” is, that’s where you’re placing your trust. Choose to put your trust in God in all things and at all times.

Topic: Don’t Be A Prey! [Monday 12, June 2017]

Memorise: Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. – Proverbs 7:23

Read: Proverbs 7:7-23 (KJV)

7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,

8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,

9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:

10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:

12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,

14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.

17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.

19 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:

20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.

21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.

22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;

23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

Bible in One Year: Joshua 20-21, Jeremiah 48:9-27, Hymn: Sing hymn 6

MESSAGE:

A negative experience many people have had to contend with is captivity. Captivity can mean bondage, slavery, imprisonment, detention or a lack of freedom. Captivity also comes in various forms. It can occur as a consequence of being captured in a battle, like it happened to Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Daniel 1:1-7). In this particular case, King Nebuchadnezzar invaded the nation of Israel and carried away some of the people into captivity. From that moment, these captives became slaves in a foreign land. Similarly, some people enter into captivity by falling into a trap set by the enemy. For instance, in Judges 16:4-5, the lords of the Philistines used a beautiful woman as bait for Samson. Today, there are several “hunters” of destiny and life all around, setting all kinds of traps to get their prey. May you never be one of their victims!

One common trap people fall into today is the trap of adultery and fornication. The devil has several agents and means to use as bait, and believe it or not, he catches a lot of prey. He may use beautiful ladies like he did to Samson. Today’s Bible reading describes how a prostitute sets a trap and catches her victim. She could also use her seductive attire which reveals her curves and exposes sensitive parts of her body. She could also use her sweet flattering words, seductive make-up, perfumes or gait just to get her prey. When he finally yields, she leads him like an ox to the slaughter slab. Proverbs 7:23 says

“Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.”

Anyone being lured or enticed into lust should realise that it can never really be for his or her own good. Today, several female students have become easy prey for sugar daddies and evil horny lecturers because they erroneously think that they are getting something of value in return. How much can a man pay you to allow him to destroy your destiny or kill you? What score will a lecturer award you in exchange for your life? The victims of lust, immorality and adultery are really trading their precious lives for pittance. Are you in captivity of adultery, thinking it benefits you because you are getting rapid promotion in your place of work? Don’t be deceived! You are truly paying with your life! Repent, come to Jesus and cut off all hunters from your life! Break that relationship if your partner is pressurising you for sex as a basis for friendship. It is not worth it! Ask God to deliver you from every trap of the devil.

Prayer Point: Father, deliver all our children, teens and youths from sexual immorality.

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.