Topic: Love Can Change People [Thursday May 18, 2017]

…The righteous gives and does not spare. — Proverbs 21:26 NKJV

I once read a story in Guideposts magazine, a remarkable account of how love changed a person’s life. A Christian woman lived next door to an elderly lady who never came out of her house or even raised her window shades to let light into her home. This lady’s husband had died, and she herself had endured a stroke, which had left her lonely and bitter.

The Christian woman and her two young children began trying to reach out to the elderly recluse, but every time they did, she rejected their advances. They baked cookies every week for a long time and delivered them to their neighbor’s door. The first time, she opened the door just a crack, accepted the cookies, thanked them, and closed the door.

The neighbor’s response was not what the Christian woman had hoped for, but she lovingly persisted. And eventually love did work! The elderly lady accepted a casserole from her and said more than just a short thank-you. As the visits continued, the elderly woman gradually began to chat longer. Finally, one day, the Christian woman’s children picked some flowers from their garden and delivered them to their neighbor. Eventually, they all became good friends. The elderly lady got her life back. She opened her blinds, her door, and her heart, and she began to live again—all because someone who loved God was determined to love her.

Many people in the world today are just like the elderly neighbor. They have had sadness or difficulties in their lives and have become bitter. They seem to reject love, yet love is what they need most. Be a person who gives of yourself and your resources to reach out and show love to someone who desperately needs it.

Love Others Today: Do you know someone who is angry, sad, or bitter? How can you show love to that person?

Topic: Defending His Name [Thursday 18, May 2017]

Memorise: Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known. – Psalm 106:8

Read: Psalm 106:7-9 (KJV)

7 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea.

8 Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.

9 He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.

Bible in One Year: Deuteronomy 29-30, Jeremiah 32:16-2 5, Hymn: Sing hymn 12

MESSAGE:

The Bible declares that our God is a very present help in time of trouble (Psalm 46:1). This means that He is ever-present or always ready to help in the time of trouble. There are several reasons why God makes His help available to a person. Understanding these reasons and applying them to your life will go a long way in helping you experience God as an ever-present help. One of these reasons is to fulfil His promises. God is very committed to His promises; hence, Psalm 89:34 says,

“My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.”

If He has purposed to help you, He will not change His mind midway. Number 23:19 says,

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”

God’s word had integrity. He regards His words above His Name (Psalm 138:2). Every promise He has made to you shall be fulfilled speedily! God cannot violate His word, so you can be sure that He will keep His promise to help you.

Another reason why God reaches out to help a man is for the sake of His Name. If you genuinely belong to God, He will help you because you bear His Name and are called by His Name in this world (Acts 15:17). No wonder Psalm 106:8 says,

“Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known”

That means His intervention goes beyond your asking. He will intervene to defend His Name and show His power. At certain bus stops in life, some people will challenge you by asking “Where is your God?” some may even say “if your God is truly alive, He should have delivered you by now.” If you are in such situation, take heart and be unmovable. In Daniel 3:14-29, King Nebuchadnezzar initially asked the three Hebrew children “who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” However, By the time God was through with him, he publicly confessed that there was no God like their God. Is your child in a situation that appears hopeless? Is your business or career going through some impossible storms? God will step into your situation and calm the storms! The Lord is speaking peace to every impossible situation you are up against right now. He will surely bring you out of the storm, not just because of you, but because of His Name that you bear. In that situation you are going through, the Lord will defend His Name, and He will not put you to shame. He will demonstrate His power just to give you the last laugh in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point: Father, in this present situation I find myself, arise and defend your matchless Name.

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.

Topic: Clothed by God [Thursday May 18, 2017]

Read: Zechariah 3, Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 4–6; John 6:1–21

See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you. Zechariah 3:4

When my kids were toddlers, they would play outside in our sodden English garden and quickly become covered in mud and dirt. For their good and the good of my floor, I’d remove their clothes at the door and wrap them in towels before sticking them in the bath. They’d soon move from dirty to clean with the addition of soap, water, and hugs.

In a vision given to Zechariah, we see Joshua, a high priest, covered in rags that represent sin and wrongdoing (Zech. 3:3). But the Lord makes him clean, removing his filthy clothes and covering him in rich garments (3:5). The new turban and robe signify that the Lord has taken his sins from him.

We too can receive God’s cleansing as we become free of our wrongdoing through the saving work of Jesus. As a result of His death on the cross, we can have the mud and sins that cling to us washed away as we receive the robes of God’s sons and daughters. No longer are we defined by what we’ve done wrong (whether lying, gossiping, stealing, coveting, or other), but we can claim the names God gives to those He loves—restored, renewed, cleansed, free.

Ask God to remove any filthy rags you’re wearing so you too can put on the wardrobe He has reserved for you.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, through Your saving death on the cross we can find acceptance and love. May we receive this gift for Your glory.

Who can wash away my sin? Jesus!

Insight:

In today’s passage Satan is not rebuked because he has no grounds to accuse Joshua. Satan is rebuked because Joshua’s current condition (dressed in dirty clothes—symbolic of judgment and sin) was not his final condition. God changed his situation by clothing him with clean garments, symbolic of God’s righteousness.

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

Topic: The Power-Producing Prayer [Thursday May 18, 2017]

Scripture: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. Ephesians 6:18.

Thought For The Day: Prayer produces power in the life of a Christian.

It has been established that men and women of prayer are men and women of power. Prayer produces power in the life of a Christian.

One typical example of a man whose prayer life produced power was Paul the Apostle. In 1 Corinthians 14:18, the Bible makes it clear that Paul prayed in tongues more than the whole church of the Corinthians; he was literally praying always. What a mobile prayer dynamo he was!

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul admonished the Thessalonians to pray without ceasing. He was telling them his practice. No wonder, he was a man who exported power, even the power of the Gospel of Christ to the Gentiles to such a point that handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them (Acts 19:12).

Demons were checked out because he prayed in tongues more than every other person in his days. This was a man who was stoned and left to die but woke up and said, ‘Let us go to the next city for crusade.’ (Acts 14:19-20 paraphrased).

Beloved, your life shall produce power as you embark on persistent prayer from today, in Jesus’ Name.

Remember this: Prayer produces power in the life of a Christian.

Assignment(s):

1. Connect the power of God by engaging in a persistent life of Prayer.

2. Pray according to God’s promises in Scripture.

Prayer: O LORD, I ask for the grace to prevail with You at the place of prayer, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: THE POWER OF PRAYER.

Quote: Prayer is a basic necessity of life. Culled from PRINCIPLES AND POWER OF PRAYER by Dr Paul Enenche.

Daily Reading: I Samuel 22:1 to 23: 29, John 10:1 to 21, Psalm 115:1-18, Proverbs 15:18 to 19

Amazing Fact: In terms of flexibility, the tongue beats every other muscle in our body! Because of this flexibility, the tongue is capable of easily manipulating food inside the mouth and is also capable of acting as a natural cleanser for our teeth after a meal.

Today In History: 18th May 1901 – Total eclipse of the sun observed in Mauritius

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: Ceaseless Cry [Thursday May 18, 2017]

Text: Psalm 119:145-152

Key Verse: “I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word” (Psalm 119:147).

Calling on the Lord in prayer for expected answers demands the fulfillment of some conditions. The person praying must have faith in the One he is petitioning; he must rid his heart of all worldly distractions; he must have intimate knowledge of the God he is praying to; he must joyfully invoke promises that God has made concerning answers to prayers; finally, he must “pray without ceasing.”

It is pleasing to note that in the passage for today’s meditation, the Psalmist met all the scriptural requirements. He proves that he is approaching a Lord, whose statutes he is familiar with. He promises to honour His laws. Acknowledging God’s lovingkindness, he vows to allow those commandments to quicken him. He needs this so that he would not be like those “that are far from thy law.” Back in verses 147 and 148, he spent the night praying, reading the word of God and meditating on the precious promises of the Lord. Finally in verse 152, he expresses full assurance of his intimacy with his faith in the unfailing word of God. It is the knowledge of the word of God and faith in the One who authored it that liberates and prepares one for heaven.

The believer uses the promises in the Bible to pray and receive answers. It is the sure word of God the sinner reads or hears that convicts him or her to repent and receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour. It is the same Word the runaway backslider returns to in order to make peace with God. It is this same gospel of salvation we all must take to the lost world in dire need of a solution to its myriad of problems. God is waiting to answer their prayers if they call on Him in faith.

Thought for the day: The Gospel of Christ is the cure-all pill the sick world needs.

Bible Reading in one Year: 1 Thessalonians 1-5

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: He’ll Be Listening [Thursday May 18, 2017]

nd this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. – 1 John 5:14-15

Have you ever been in prayer and suddenly had the disturbing sensation that God simply wasn’t listening?

It’s happened to all of us. But few of us know just what to do about it. We just limp along praying the same old prayers, half-hoping those prayers are heard and half-suspecting they’re not.

Today I want to show you how to resolve that dilemma once and for all. But let me warn you, I’m not going to slap you on the back and assure you God will listen to any old doubtful, self-centered thing you say to Him. He won’t. He’s only promised to listen to prayers that are prayed according to His will. The Apostle John says when you pray like that, you’ll know that you have the petitions you desire of Him.

The word petition is defined as “a formal, written request addressed to a sovereign superior for a particular right or grace,” and that’s exactly what you need when you’re praying about something serious.

How do you put together a solid petition, one that’s in line with the will of God?

First, you’ll have to roll up your sleeves and dig in to the written Word. Find scriptures that apply to your situation and make those the foundation for your petition.

Then get on your knees and consult with the Holy Spirit. Let Him help you develop your petition in detail. The best way to do that is to spend time praying in other tongues. (See Romans 8:26-27.) Expect God to reveal things from His heart to yours. He wants you to know His will. So, while you’re praying, listen!

Last of all, write it down. Make a formal written request by writing down every scripture you find. Also, as you’re listening to the Holy Spirit for the details, write down the impressions and ideas He gives you.

Take your time. Let the Spirit develop your prayer. Let the truth He reveals to you settle in and begin to work in you. Get your petition firmly in mind, then when you’re ready, present it to God.

Believe me, He’ll be listening.

Scripture Reading: 1 John 5:1-15

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: The Law Is Not Of Faith [Thursday May 18, 2017]

Mark 7:2, “And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.”

Man looks on the outward appearance (this is what the scribes and Pharisees were concerned with), but the Lord looks on the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). Jesus looked on men’s hearts. The Old Testament laws concerning washing served a secondary purpose of hygiene, but as stated in Colossians 2:16-17 and Hebrews 9:1,9-10, their real purpose was to shadow or illustrate spiritual truth.

Defiled food may hurt our bodies, but it cannot reach our spirits (Jn. 3:6).

The scribes and Pharisees missed the principle of spiritual purity taught by the Old Testament ordinances and became obsessed with strict adherence to their rituals. While they relentlessly enforced the laws dealing with the physical realm, they had become completely corrupt in the spiritual realm.

“The law is not of faith.” When combined with Romans 14:23 which says, “…whatsoever is not of faith is sin,” this statement must have been near blasphemy to the legalistic Jews, just as it is to legalistic Christians today. It is sin for the New Testament believer to try to relate to God by attempting to keep the Old Testament law. The law itself is not sin (Rom. 7:7). But it is sin to try to use the law for justification with God. This was never the purpose of the law.

Under the law a person got what he deserved. Under faith, the New Testament believer receives grace because of what Jesus did for him. Any departure from faith, especially a departure back to the Old Testament law, voids the work of Christ (Gal. 2:21) and is the worst sin of all. Only faith in Jesus Christ has the key that unlocks the door to the law’s harsh imprisonment of guilt and condemnation. With a great price He has purchased your freedom. Walk in it today and enjoy His Life.

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: Love Covers [Thursday May 18, 2017]

. . . Let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions. — 1 John 3:18 (TLB)

The Bible declares that we who follow Christ should be just as much in love with each other as God was in love with us when He sent His Son to die on the cross. The moment we come to Christ, Scripture says, God gives us supernatural love that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The greatest demonstration of the fact that we are Christians is that we love one another. Why not go out of our way to be a friend to someone whose skin is a different color from ours? Love does more to solve our problems than anything else does. Of all the gifts God offers His children, love is the greatest. Of all the fruits of the Holy Spirit, love is the first.

Prayer for the day: Jesus, loving Lord, teach me real love—mine is often shallow in my relationship to others.

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.

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: Seven Abominations Unto God. Pt Four [17/05/2017]

A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, Proverbs 6:18. Read: Gen 37:5-11

Another wonderful day God Almighty has made, glory to Him, glory be to God Almighty. A proud look, a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood are abomination to God Almighty, in fact, such that practice them cannot enter into God’s Kingdom because they’re the enemy of God. Today, let’s quickly look at the fourth abomination to God.

4) Heart that devises wicked imaginations. The heart is the most powerful organ of the body, it’s the hub of every man’s life. Life depends on what the heart conceives whether good or bad. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speak.

Many people just hate others from their hearts. When you ask them, what has this person done to you that you so hate him? They would say, nothing, I just hate him. Ever since the fall of man in the garden of Eden, the imagination of man’s heart is evil and the Bible says, the heart of man is desperately wicked, who can know it? Of course only one person that knows about it and that is God Almighty. Only God can give you a new heart from the evil one. His blood can purge your heart and prune it for everything. Don’t be like like Cain. Joseph brothers hated him because their heart were not clean.

#BiblePromisesPrayer

* Father, in any way I have devised wicked imaginations in my heart, please forgive me in Jesus Mighty Name.

Today’s Scripture: “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.'” – (Matthew 11:28, NLT)

Topic: Rest for Your Soul [Wednesday May 17, 2017]

God wants to give you rest. He wants to refresh and restore your soul—your mind, will and emotions. It’s so easy to get caught up in the “busyness” of life, and before long, your mind, will and emotions are so “spun up” that you can barely think straight! But even in the hustle of life, you can find rest, ease and relaxation. God wants you to enjoy your life. That’s why He tells us to come to Him. God wants to take care of everything that concerns you so that you can find rest in your innermost being.

Imagine how you would feel if someone came up to you today and said, “Give me all of your monthly bills; I’m going to pay them.” You’d get pretty excited, wouldn’t you? But it wouldn’t happen until you did your part to actually hand that person your bills. They can’t pay them for you if you never release them. In the same way, when we release our cares and concerns to God, He promises to take care of them.

Today, choose to release your cares to the Lord. Let Him fill you with His peace and joy. Receive the rest that He promises and enjoy the fulfillment and blessing He has for you!

A Prayer for Today: “Father in heaven, today I humbly come to You. I choose to cast my cares on You so that I can live in Your rest. Thank You for Your goodness to me. Help me find ways to share Your goodness with those around me today in Jesus’ name. Amen.”