Topic: Whose Will? [Wednesday 31, May 2017]

Memorise: Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.  – Matthew 6:10

Read: Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV)

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Bible in One Year: Acts 20-21, Jeremiah 38:24-39:10, Hymn: Sing hymn 11

MESSAGE:

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – Romans 12:2

God is a God of purpose and He is highly organised. He plans far ahead of His deeds. For instance, Ephesians 1:4 says that long before God laid the foundations of the earth, He had already chosen us to live a holy and blameless life before Him. God knows exactly what He wants and where He is going. God could not have created the world and everything in it without a definite plan and purpose for His creation (Isaiah 45:18). He has a will which is clearly revealed by His word. May God cause you to know His plan for your life and give you the grace to follow it in Jesus’ Name.

From the teaching of Jesus commonly known as “the Lord’s prayer”, one thing is very clear: only the will of God is done in Heaven where He dwells. No one can violate His will or commandment over there and continue to stay there. He cannot live with rebels; hence, Lucifer and the angels who rebelled against God were thrown out of Heaven (Isaiah 14:12-15). Everyone and everything existing in Heaven conforms to God’s will and plan, and they all make Him happy. How about on earth? Since the fall of man, Satan and his demons have done a lot to cause men to take after their rebellious path. For this reason, Jesus Christ came so that we can once again unite with those in Heaven in doing God’s will and pursuing His pleasure. Matthew 6:10 says,

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

Why were you saved? God saved you so that you can join His family in Heaven in doing His will. David had this understanding, and so he said in Psalm 143:10:

“Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.”

You are here on earth to do His will and not to please yourself (Romans 12:2). For this reason, Colossians 1:16 says we were created by Him and for Him. You were created for His purpose. At the end of time, only those who followed God’s will diligently on earth will be translated to continue doing so in Heaven. Whose will are you following? Are you daily doing God’s will or yours?

Prayer Point: Father, teach and grant me grace to do Your will with all my heart.

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.

If you have a child, are responsible for a child, or have children around you in any way and at any time, you must erase these words from your vocabulary and refrain from saying them to a child. This is because a child’s mind and perception of the world is very fragile in their formative years, so you have to be careful not to impact them negatively with your words. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares 5 things you should never say to a child.

“Practice Makes Perfect”

This popular phrase is what most children have grown up hearing and most parents erroneously believe that this phrase encourages a child to work harder and attain great things. However, most of the time, this is not so. This adage sends a message that if a child doesn’t win or excel, it means the child didn’t work hard enough. This weakens the child’s confidence as he/she grows up believing every failure is caused by his/her incompetence or inability to put in enough effort. It’s better to say instead that ‘practice makes better’ rather than ‘practice makes perfect’.

“You’re Okay”

This is another popular phrase with Nigerian parents. It might seem like the best thing to reassure a child that he/she is okay when he/she has been hurt physically or emotionally, but it isn’t right to force this reality on a child who just isn’t okay. For a child to be sad about something or to come crying to you, it means the child is not okay. You should learn to help the child acknowledge his/her emotions to help him/her understand and deal with them, rather than dismiss them. It’s not like you should never say this to a child, but there are some scenarios you shouldn’t say this.

“I’m on a Diet”

If you struggle with your weight, shape or size, try to keep this struggle as far away from a child as possible. If a child sees you stepping on a scale every day and hears you complaining all the time about being fat and ugly, he/she (especially girls) can develop body image issues. Rather than telling a child you’re on diet, it’s better to say ‘I’m eating healthy and I exercise because it’s great for the body and my heart’. This can inspire the child to join you and live a healthy life.

“We Can’t Afford That”

Most people will think that being bold enough to tell a child this, is teaching the child to be responsible, but this is more counter-productive than productive. Keep money issues as far away as you can from children; they are too young to bear that burden. Choose alternative light-hearted ways to tell your child you can’t afford something. You can try saying you’re saving for something special for the family or that you’ll get it for them later. If the child insists, then it’s a perfect opportunity to teach the child in simple terms about budgeting, saving and managing money.

“Let Me Help”

Again, it’s not like you should never say this to a child, but you should refrain from doing so often. It’s better to let the child ask or give some kind of signal asking for help or even come to you for help, than you jumping in to offer unsolicited help to a child. This can undermine the child’s independence and cause him/her to start looking to others all the time for answers and assistance. When your child asks for help, try asking guiding questions or guiding the child first, to see if the child gets it on his/her own. If he/she doesn’t, then you can help.

By Damilola Ojo
PR Associate Jumia Travel
+2348101556883

Topic: A Looming Judgement [Wednesday May 31, 2017]

Text: Amos 5:16-27

Key Verse: “Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light” (Amos 5:18).

The judgment of God upon sinners is imminent. It is going to be a day of catastrophe and calamity, gloom and misery, desolation and astonishment and indeed, a day of a lamentation and confusion. It is a day that no sinner would wish to pass through. This day of outpouring of God’s fury, indignation and wrath upon the world is referred to as the day of the Lord in the Scripture.

The day of the Lord as depicted in the text will be the time when the Lord will make the day dark, dismal, and gloomy upon all impenitent sinners and backsliders. A sinner who escapes one calamity will be pursued and overtaken by another. The people of Israel copied the crimes and iniquities of their forefathers by going into idolatry. God frowns at hypocrisy as well as the pretence of piety. God could not be bribed with music or offerings. For the sin and impenitence of Israel, the nation will grieve. Weeping will be heard throughout the land.

Their situation will go from bad to worse. The day of the Lord will be for the nation, a day without a ray of hope. Their hypocritical offerings and melodious songs were rejected by God. For this reason, they would go into slavery in exile. Moreover, they would lose their pride and glory as they would go into captivity. To escape the fiery indignation of God on the judgment day, sinners need to repent of their evil ways, come to Christ through repentance, while backsliders should make their ways right with God. The Lord wants to see a river of righteous living flowing all over the land. Even so, He desires that His saints will “hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end”.

Thought for the day: Recipe for sin? Repentance!

Bible Reading in one Year: John 1-3

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 Beauty of Brokenness [Wednesday May 31, 2017]

Read: Psalm 51, Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 13–14; John 12:1–26

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit. Psalm 51:17

Kintsugi is a centuries-old Japanese art of mending broken pottery. Gold dust mixed with resin is used to reattach broken pieces or fill in cracks, resulting in a striking bond. Instead of trying to hide the repair, the art makes something beautiful out of brokenness.

The Bible tells us that God also values our brokenness, when we are genuinely sorry for a sin we have committed. After David engaged in adultery with Bathsheba and plotted the death of her husband, the prophet Nathan confronted him, and he repented. David’s prayer afterwards gives us insight into what God desires when we have sinned: “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise” (Ps. 51:16–17).

When our heart is broken over a sin, God mends it with the priceless forgiveness generously offered by our Savior at the cross. He receives us with love when we humble ourselves before Him, and closeness is restored.

How merciful is God! Given His desire for a humble heart and the breathtaking beauty of His kindness, may another scriptural prayer be ours today: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23–24).

Prayer: Loving Father, I want to bring You joy by having a humble and repentant heart today.

Godly sorrow leads to joy.

This message was written By James Banks [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: His Purpose Revealed [Wednesday May 31, 2017]

Matthew 16:21, “From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.”

Despite the abundant and clear prophecies about His death and resurrection, Jesus’ disciples didn’t understand or remember Jesus’ words until after His resurrection (Lk. 24:5-9). Luke records twice that Jesus’ sayings about His resurrection were hidden from the disciples. It is interesting to note, however, that the chief priests and Pharisees remembered Jesus’ prophecies about His resurrection (Mt. 27:63) when His disciples didn’t.

One of the great truths of the Bible is that Jesus died for our sins, not for His own. Jesus was totally sinless. This is one of the major differences between Christianity and the religions of the world. No other religious leader has ever claimed to be sinless, therefore no other religious leader is even in the same class with Jesus. Also, no other religious leader has ever given his life in sacrifice to atone for the sins of others. It wouldn’t have done any good if one had. Since the religious leaders were sinners themselves, their lives weren’t worth any more than any other sinner. But, since Jesus was the sinless Son of God, His life was worth more than all of humanity throughout the ages.

Every detail of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection was already prophesied in scripture before it happened. All the events of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection had fulfilled scripture. God’s Word is the ultimate authority and only through His Word can we receive faith to be born again. We must preach the Word, not experiences. Experiences are only useful to illustrate that God’s Word is true. Jesus is alive from the dead. His tomb is empty. Jesus provided us with the ultimate verification of His authority. He arose from the dead.

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: Live in Power [Wednesday May 31, 2017]

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. – Romans 6:4

As a believer, you actually have residing in you the same new life God gave Jesus when He raised Him from the dead. The old sinner you once were has died. You’ve become a new creation on the inside.

You are full of the resurrection life of God!

But sin, disobedience and living a selfish, carnal life will keep that resurrection life from flowing out. Sin will separate you from the power of God, even though you’re born again. Resurrection life will lay dormant in you if you walk in sin.

You can’t overcome sin by trying to stop sinning, however. You overcome it by walking after the new life God has put within you, by spending time in the Word and in prayer. As you do that, the Spirit of God will strengthen you and enable you to put that sin under your feet.

Remember, though, the Holy Spirit will not subdue those old fleshly habits of yours on His own. He’ll wait on you to take the initiative. Then He will strengthen you to follow through with your decision. He will teach you how to walk in the new life that is on the inside of you.

Take the first step today by asking for His help. Say, “Lord, I desire to experience the power to live by this new life every day. By a decision of my heart, I put down the dictates of sin. I declare myself dead to sin. In Jesus’ Name, I will spend time in prayer and in the Word today. As I do, I believe I’ll receive a Holy Ghost refreshing in my life. I believe I’ll begin to live out the resurrection power that You’ve placed in me!”

Scripture Reading: Romans 7:1-6

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: Hard Work; The Door To The High Places Of Life [Wednesday May 31, 2017]

Scripture: Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men – Proverbs 22:29

Thought For The Day: Hard work is the cure for hard life.

It has been observed that a major decadence of our generation is laziness and idleness. Many people want to get everything very fast without working for it. As a result, they embark on short-cuts that eventually cut their lives and destinies short. No one wants to embrace the discipline of hard work. That is why many people are suffering today.

Two people may grow up together but end up differently in life because of their level of diligence. I once heard the story of a notable female Managing Director of a commercial bank in Nigeria who has a twin sister. At a tender age, while this lady laboured to take her place up in life, her twin sister faded off into obscurity through indolence. It was said that while the lady was dutifully engaged in tasking house chores at a tender age, her twin sister was either sleeping or lazing about. Today, this lady has taken her place at the top of her career through hard work but nothing is known about the sister.

Beloved, hard work is the door to the high places of life. Hard work is the cure for hard life.

Remember this: Hard work is the cure for hard life.

Prayer: O LORD, I thank You for Your Word to me today. I receive the grace to be diligent in life in Jesus’ Name.

Assignment (s):

1. Make up your mind to avoid slothfulness in all your endeavours.

2. Endeavour to have a schedule of what you want to achieve per day. And let your schedule includes effective spiritual work as well.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING GET THIS MESSAGE: DILIGENCE.

Daily Reading: 2 Samuel 17:1 to 29, John 19:23 to 42, Psalm 119:129 to 152, Proverbs 16:12 to 13.

Quote: Your work determines your worth. Culled from 30 SECRETS TO THE TOP by Dr Paul Enenche.

Amazing Fact: Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing

Today In History: 31/05/1961 – South Africa became an independent republic.

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: Need for Inner Change [Wednesday May 31, 2017]

Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. — 2 Corinthians 5:17

The world says that all we need to do is be decent, respectable, and reasonable. True, that is all one needs to do to be a member of the Great Society, but to be a member of the Kingdom of God, there must be an inner change. A Communist in Hyde Park, London, pointed to a tramp and said, “Communism will put a new suit on that man.” A Christian standing nearby said, “Yes, but Christ will put a new man in that suit!”

Prayer for the day: Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the change that came deep within me when I received You.

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.

Today’s Scripture: “Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!” – (Psalm 31:19, NKJV)

Topic: Stored Up Blessings [Tuesday May 30, 2017]

Scripture talks about how God has blessings stored up for those that honor Him. Think about that. God has contracts, houses, ideas, good breaks that already have your name on them! They’ve been stored up for you. The question is, how do you see them released? Number one: by honoring God and keeping Him first place. Then number two: by making room for them in your thinking. You’ve got to believe that something big is in your future. You’ve got to declare His promises over your life. You have to see with your eyes of faith what God can do.

Today, why don’t you take the limits off of God and say, “God, I don’t see how this could happen in the natural, but I know You are a supernatural God. I know You have blessings that already have my name on them. Lord, I just want to thank You for Your far and beyond favor.” If you live like that, you will see God amaze you with His goodness, and you’ll receive those blessings He has stored up for you!

A Prayer for Today: “Father, thank You for storing up blessings for me. I choose to honor You and bless You. I put my faith and hope in You knowing that You will amaze me with Your goodness in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: The Gravity Of His Action [30/05/2017]

And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. Luke 15:12. Read: Lk 15:12-32.

There are so many interpretations to the action the prodigal son took, but in this context, we want to look at his sin, the gravity of his action. We all know that before a Will can be read, the owner must have been dead. No one allows his Will to be read why he is still alive. The prodigal son went to meet his father and said, father, I want my own portion of the inheritance that should fall to me after you’ve dead. He gave him.

What are the implications of his action? His action shows clearly that he might have been praying secretly for his father to die on time so that he can see where to share his properties. When he saw that his father was not dying, he summoned courage to tell it to his father and said, father, since you refused to die, I want my share of your properties. His father would have rebuked him, but no, he gave it to him. And after he had spent all, he returned home and he received him in spite of what he did, his father forgave him. Whatever sin you have committed, if you can humble yourself and come to Him, He will gladly accept you.

#BiblePromisesQuote

* Your sin is not greater than God’s mercy, grace and his blood. Reach out for Jesus now