Topic: Who Am I [Tuesday April 25, 2017]

The greatest sources of crisis and conflict in life is identity based.

Knowing who you are as ordained by God is what rescues you from every form of identity crisis.

That you are not something does not mean you are nothing.

Everyone is somebody and no one is a nobody.

No one is everything, so no one should be allowed to make you feel that you are nothing.

People get into games of comparison, competition, envy and strife simply because they are yet to know who they are.

Knowledge of who you are is what enhances your worth and gives you sense of value; it defines your glory.

I am yet to find who to envy because I’m not like any other person I’ve ever met.

Save yourself from the identity crisis by identifying and appreciating whom and what God has made you to be.

Don’t pride yourself but celebrate who you are.

Make yourself of no repute, yet, maintain your self esteem.

Never be proud, but don’t damage your ego.

You are valuable and distinct.

Topic: God Answers the Prayers of the Righteous [Tuesday April 25, 2017]

…The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. — James 5:16

When people struggle in their prayer lives, they often think it is because they are unholy and unrighteous so they try to behave better, hoping that then their prayers will be answered.

The truth is that if we are born again, we are righteous. We may not do everything right; but we are 100 percent righteous through Christ. Second Corinthians 5:21 tells us He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (NKJV).

There is a difference between righteousness and “right” behavior. Righteousness describes our standing—our position or condition before God—because of the blood of Jesus. We cannot make ourselves righteous; only the blood of Jesus makes us righteous, as if we had never sinned at all. God views us as righteous even though we still make mistakes. Because He sees us as righteous, we have a God-given right to pray and expect God to hear and answer us.

Always do the best you can to behave properly and do it because you love God, but remember that He hears and answers your prayers because He is good, not because you are.

God’s word for you today: You have been made righteous by the grace of God.

Topic: God Is Not Interested In This [Tuesday 25, April 2017]

Memorise: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. – John 3:17

Read: Ezekiel 33:14-16 (KJV)

14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;

15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.

16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

Bible in One Year: Number 18-19, Jeremiah 20:7-18

MESSAGE:

Expectedly, you may be wondering what God is not interested in. God is not interested in the death of a sinner (2 Peter 3:9). Many sinners don’t even know that God has no delight in condemning them. It is therefore necessary that those who know this truth should make it known to them.

“14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; 15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.” – Ezekiel 33:14-15

It is clear from the above Scripture that God is not interested in the death of any sinner, but desires that the sinner repents and turns away from his or her wicked ways. It is amazing that God Almighty promised that none of the sins committed by a converted sinner will be remembered any more. God is always wanting to restore fellowship with His human creation back to what it was in the beginning, if only they would appreciate His love for them. Jesus Christ in John 15:13 said:

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

If indeed we are the friends of Jesus, we then must do whatever He commands us to do (John 15:14). Are you a friend of Jesus or willing to be one? If you are willing to be a friend of Jesus, you must accept Him today, because tomorrow may be too late. The Bible says:

“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. – 2 Corinthians 6:2

For believers who would always pray that sinners should “fall down and die”, I will like to admonish you to stop wasting your time, because if the fellow you are praying against is candidate for salvation in the future, your prayers may be an exercise in futility. This is why the Lord God said vengeance is His (Romans 12:19). May God fill our hearts with the compassion of Christ, so that we can be more concerned about the salvation of sinners rather than their death.

Prayer Point: Father, fill my heart with the compassion of Jesus, so that I would care for sinners even as You do.

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: Acceptable Offering [Tuesday April 25, 2017]

Text: Leviticus 22:17-25

Key Verse: “But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you” (Leviticus 22:20).

The earliest record in the Scripture about the act of offering to God was the offerings made by Cain and Abel in the book of Genesis. This ended in an acceptable offering of Abel and the rejection of Cain’s. Abel offered an acceptable offering instead of Cain because he offered according to the word of God, as desired by God – no blemish; best of his flock, “firstlings of his flock”.

In our text, God called Israel unto a life of separation and in our text, instructed on how to offer oblation for all vows and freewill offerings. The house of Israel or stranger in Israel is to offer at his own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goat. “But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.” No animal that is blind or broken or maimed or having a wen or scurvy or scabbed or anything that is superfluous or lacking in his part, bruised or crushed would be accepted by God.

For the believer to offer acceptably, it must meet the standard and requirements of God. It must be without blemish, offered according to God’s word, as desired by Him. Having given-up the sinful life through faith in the death of Christ and set apart for God’s use, a saint of God must spend his time with God and for His Service without complaining. He must also use his talents for the expansion of God’s kingdom by serving as a worker in the church without seeking remunerations, while gratefully presenting his treasures, that is, resources and valuables for the things of God. All these offerings must be given without blemish so that they would be acceptable by God.

Thought for the day: Unblemished service and sacrifice are an aroma of sweet smell to God.

Bible Reading in one Year: Judges 18-21

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: Rekindling The Fire Of Love In Your Marriage! (4)

Dear Reader,

You are welcome to another exciting time in the presence of the Lord. Love, like I said last week, is the key factor that sustains a Christian marriage. But could it still be, considering the fact that the hot romance in your relationship is fading away, and it’s becoming a concern to you?

That is why, this week, it is necessary for me to share with you the basic idea that will help you to rekindle that “fire of love” in your marriage. That is what I call Good and Healthy Romance!

A healthy romance between a husband and wife makes for a healthy marriage relationship. Romance is a great facilitator of a successful marriage. When marriage stops being romantic, it starts to suffer devastation. The moment you stop desiring your spouse, you are already falling apart from each other. At that point, there is the need for a rekindling. Unfortunately, however, this is where many Christians run into problems.

Paul speaking in the Book of 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 says: Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

From the above verses of the Bible, “rendering due benevolence” means to give one another the benefit of marriage, which is your body. God placed in man a sexual desire, which should only be satisfied in marriage. That way, the desire will not be destructive.

But the big question is: why have so many couples denied themselves of this truth? This is where, I believe, some Christians have opened the door to trouble in their marriages.  The man is not available for his wife, so she looks somewhere else. The wife is not available for the man, so he goes somewhere else, because the burning must be satisfied.

The Bible says you mustn’t allow your abstinence go beyond a time. Nobody fasts for one year.  Even Jesus, the Messiah of the world, only fasted 40 days.  The significance of this is that you are not permitted, under whatever reason, to separate from each other for more than 40 days maximum, lest satan tempts you.

To tell your wife today, “I am waiting on the Lord”, tomorrow, “I am waiting on the Lord”, next week, “I am waiting on the Lord.” When you finish ‘waiting’, you may not find her there again. That is why most crises in marriages, today, develop out of sexual tension.

Romance in marriage is one of the areas you must intelligibly manage, because it reinforces the marriage covenant. Take time out with your spouse to go for a dinner date or a picnic in a secluded area away from home. Catch some fun with each other occasionally, like going to the beach or watching programmes of choice alone together. Create time for each other to reminisce happy moments; this will help to spice up a lukewarm marriage.

Having the fear of God resident will also help you spice up your marriage with good romance, instead of finding satisfaction outside the marriage. You can operate in the fear of God cheaply, if you have accepted Christ as your Lord and personal Saviour. Peradventure you haven’t, please say this prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the living God. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.”

If you prayed this simple prayer, 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).

Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through [email protected]; OR 07026385437 and 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: It’s Beginning to Rain [Tuesday April 25, 2017]

Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. – Joel 2:23

There’s a spiritual flood coming. God has promised it. He’s promised us an outpouring of Holy Spirit power that will bring in the greatest harvest of souls any of us have ever seen.

As believers, we’ve been reading about it in the Word and hearing about it from the pulpit for years. We’ve been staring toward heaven so long, waiting for it to come, that we’ve gotten cricks in our spiritual necks. We’ve had this mental image of God pouring down His Spirit from some sort of big heavenly pitcher above us.

But you know what? We’ve been looking in the wrong direction!

The pitchers God is going to use to pour out His power are right here on earth. Jesus explained it this way. “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38).

The end-time flood we’ve all been expecting is going to be composed of living waters that will pour forth from believers. The Holy Spirit within us will be the source of all the signs and wonders and miracles the prophets foretold. And when we begin to fervently pray the prayer of intercession, the flood of that power will begin to flow.

Zechariah 10:1 says, “Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.”

Our prayers, our intercession, are what will release the great outpouring of God’s Spirit. As we begin to join together and cry out to God, the rivers of living water within each one of us will join together and become a flood of spiritual power in the earth.

So, ask, pray for a Holy Ghost gully-washer. Intercede for the outpouring. Make this mighty flood of spiritual power a priority in your prayer life.

Glory to God, it’s already beginning to rain!

Scripture Reading: Joel 2:23-32

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: God Wants To Tell You [Tuesday, 25th April 2017]

But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 1 Corinthians 2:10

While we respect and cherish men of God who God speaks to about us, it is very pertinent for us to know that God would actually love to tell or show you directly the things He usually tell or show these men of God. Most folks feel that they don’t have the ability to hear from God. Well, beloved, as long as you have the life of God, you have the ability to hear God speak to you and show you wondrous things about yourself. The truth is, God would rather tell you things about you than tell someone else. But, you see, we are the ones creating the chasm between us and God that makes it difficult for us to hear God.

One of the criteria for us to hear from God is for us to communicate with Him and be totally committed to our relationship with Him. He has prepared some nice stuffs for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9), but if those who love Him stay away from His Spirit and not strengthen their relationship with Him, they won’t be able to see, hear and understand the things God have prepared for them. So they can’t access the beautiful things prepared by God for them.

God wants to reveal these amazing things to them, not through any other means, but through His Spirit. Now don’t get me wrong. There are somethings God would rather reveal to someone else. He does all things according to the counsel of His will, to His glory. But He would still want to tell you bulk of the information He wants to pass to you. But we need to draw close to Him through the Holy Spirit that is in us. Fellowship with God’s Spirit. Be fully committed to Him. Spend time talking with Him. And be set for the deep secrets He will reveal to you.

Keep winning daily.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I am making a commitment to you, to not only love you wholeheartedly, but to also spend time in fellowship with You. I trust You to reveal unto me, all that you would want me to know in my walk with and work for You, in Jesus’s Name. Amen.

When you become a part of the private rented sector for the first time, there are a number of things you have to consider to ensure you are not cheated and that you’re in a secure and safe tenancy. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares 6 things you as a first time renter should consider before renting an apartment.

Tenancy Contracts

Though they tend to be long, confusing and full of legal jargon, it is important to avoid the temptation of just skipping to the end and signing it without reading. A tenancy contract is a legally binding document that mandates your landlord to do certain things that you definitely should be aware of to avoid being taken by a rude surprise.

Upfront Costs

It’s easy for first-time renters to forget that aside monthly or yearly rent, there are also upfront costs of renting an apartment and you’ll almost always have to complete the payment of the costs before you can move into the apartment. You should prepare and plan ahead for these costs to avoid a rude shock in this area.

Long Term Costs

Aside monthly or yearly rent, there are other utility payments like electricity, water etc. that you have to consider. You need to be sure if certain utilities are covered by your rent and provided for or if you will have to either source for them or pay for them.

Take a Meter Reading Before Signing on the Dotted Line

Landlords are fond of passing on previous electricity bills to new and unsuspecting tenants. Ensure you are not a victim of this by taking a meter reading of the electricity meter when you come to inspect the house. You can also request to see evidence that electricity bills have been paid to date and there are no outstanding bills left for you to shoulder. Please ensure you do this to avoid being charged by PHCN for electricity previous tenants used.

Safety and Appearance of the Neighbourhood

Many first-time renters often get carried away with the excitement of renting their first apartment and forget to assess the safety of the neighbourhood their renting the apartment in. Please ensure you do not make this mistake. Landlords will hardly be truthful or sincere about the safety of the neighbourhood of their apartments, so you have to ask around and make necessary enquiries. You can talk to one or two people who live and work around the area to get information about what the area is really like.

Accessibility

Try to get an apartment that has an easy or relatively easy access to public transportation, provision stores, medical facilities or anything else you consider important to your living situation. This will help make life in the apartment easier for you.

By Damilola Ojo
PR Associate Jumia Travel
+2348101556883

Topic: Don’t Give Up [Tuesday April 25, 2017]

Read: Galatians 6:1–10, Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 21–22; Luke 18:24–43

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Bob Foster, my mentor and friend for more than fifty years, never gave up on me. His unchanging friendship and encouragement, even during my darkest times, helped carry me through.

We often find ourselves determined to reach out and help someone we know who is in great need. But when we fail to see improvement right away, our resolve can weaken and we may eventually give up. We discover that what we hoped would be an immediate change has become an ongoing process.

The apostle Paul urges us to be patient in helping one another through the stumbles and struggles of life. When he writes, “Carry each other’s burdens” and so “fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2), he is comparing our task to the work, time, and waiting it takes for a farmer to see a harvest.

How long should we keep praying and reaching out to those we love? “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”  (v. 9). How many times should we reach out? “As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (v. 10).

The Lord encourages us today to trust Him, to remain faithful to others, to keep on praying, and to not give up!

Prayer: Father in heaven, we ask for hope and perseverance to continue reaching out to others.

In prayer we call on God “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” Ephesians 3:20

Insight:

We may be hesitant about allowing ourselves to start feeling the pain of those around us. So did Paul lead us into more than we can handle when he urged us to reach out to the needs of others? (Gal. 6:9). Let’s put his words in context. In the previous chapter he wrote extensively about the importance of living with a sense of liberty (5:1). He didn’t see love as a matter of duty and bondage; rather, life in the Spirit is a life of care and concern for others, enabled by the Spirit.

So are we having cold feet about the implications of being warmhearted? If so, maybe we need to accept those natural fears. But in the freedom of the Spirit we can learn to act out of our own heart rather than out of duty; we can act out of the grace God generously gives us to care for others (6:4–5).

This message was written By David C. McCasland [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]