Topic: My Redeemer Lives [Thursday 23, February 2017]

Memorise: Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. – John 14:19

Read: Mark 16:1-6 (KJV)

1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.

6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.

Bible in One Year: Genesis 12-15, Isaiah 43:16-44:8

MESSAGE:

Every time I ponder on the glory awaiting all those who make it to Heaven, I feel so excited. It is so magnificent that the ordinary human heart cannot fathom it. If you will partake of his glory, you must not be discouraged in your walk of faith with God. You must have the assurance in your heart that the Lord Christ, who is your Redeemer, is alive, and because He is alive, your faith is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:14 & 20). There are some who are at the point of giving up their faith. They are no longer excited about their confession of faith in Jesus Christ. Some are fainting in their spirit, and their level of commitment has waned. If you are in such situation, the Holy Spirit in Hebrew 10:38-39 says this to you:

“38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”

The purpose of discouragement is to make you backslide. It is aimed at stopping the good things you started. Some of the activities of the Pharisees were aimed at discouraging the followers of Jesus, but their plots failed. Although they had Him crucified, some of His followers still followed Him to the very end. How amazing it was for them when they realised that Jesus had risen from the dead! The place where they laid His body was empty, and it remains so till today! I prophecy into your life that the very spot where the enemy hoped you will remain shall become empty!

I declare to you that there is power in the resurrection of Jesus. Every arrow of discouragement shot at you to make you faint shall instead birth a spirit of boldness in you in Jesus’ Name. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. You need to have faith in Jesus, the Redeemer of mankind. He lives forever more and no situation is beyond Him. Every delay you have experienced is just to make your testimony more glorious. You need to persist in the place of prayer. As long as you are still awaiting your testimony, don’t stop confessing the promises of God. Take practical steps to actualise God’s plan and purpose for your life. The woman kept going to the tomb because there was an assurance in their spirit efforts would not be wasted. May be you have tried all you can, and yet there remains a Goliath in your life. Because your Redeemer lives, that problem will not overcome you. Because your Redeemer lives, that sickness will come to an end. Problems respond to either the call of faith or doubt. Make sure all your challenges hear the call of faith from you saying: “because He lives, I can face tomorrow; my tomorrow shall be alright whether the devil likes it or not.” It shall be so in Jesus’ Name.    

Action Point: Mark this confession of faith: Lord Jesus, become You live, I shall also live and not die.

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: Give Thanks [Wednesday, 22nd Feb. 2017]

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalms 100:4

Sometimes, we fail to appreciate what we have that the Lord blessed us with. It is easy to look at life with a regretful disposition when we have not been able to acquire our most desired needs. Our minds gets crowded out with resentment, like we are carrying all the world’s problems on our heads. But when we actually take stoke of our lives retrospectively, we will see what God has done for us, and the need to be thankful dawns on us.

One of the wills of the Father for us, is that we should be full of thanks always. Scriptures say in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “in every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” The will of God concerning you is for you to give thanks. And in Philippians 4:7, we are enjoyed to accompany our supplication with thanksgiving. That’s how important thanks giving is to the Lord.

Beloved, just like the Psalmist, we should give thanks unto the Lord for He is good and His mercies endures forever. We should give thanks to the Lord because our strength is renewed like the eagles. We should give thanks because God has given us a hope and a wonderful future. We should give thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Give God thanks, it is His will for you.

Keep winning daily.

Wise Actions:

Take out time to give thanks unto the Lord for all that He has said about you in His Word.

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: Your Presentation Matters [22/02/2017]

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Romans 5:16. Read: Rom 5:16-23

Generally in life, whoever you are loyal to will in one way or the other rule your life. Which is why you must be careful who you surrender your loyalty to or the person you give your heart to. Whoever you are loyal to possess the password to your life and can rule it the way he or she likes. Be careful, who you present yourself to matters a lot.

Apostle Paul in the above scripture tells us that whosoever we (that are already saved by God’s grace) yield ourselves to obey, that is who we’ll obey, sin or the devil. When you give yourself to obey the works of the flesh after you’ve been saved, the devil will use you to the maximum, but when you present yourself to the works of Righteousness, then God will also use you maximumly. We must present ourselves as instruments (not of unrighteousness unto sin) but as instruments of Righteousness unto God. Rom 6:13. Present yourself a living sacrifice unto God. Rom 12:1-2.

#BiblePromisesThought

* Your presentation speaks more of you to your immediate environment than your words.

Topic: Your Mouth, Your Life [Wednesday February 22, 2017]

Your life is at the mercy of your mouth.

Your mouth is the rudder of your life.

Your mouth organizes and directs your life.

Life opens in the direction of your mouth.

Don’t close your mouth if you don’t want your life to close.

Don’t use your mouth to describe your situation, rather use it to declare your expectation.

God is committed to perform only what your mouth releases.

Now, take full charge of your life by declaring what you want to see happening.

Num.14:28; Is.44:26, Mk.11:24

Topic: Realistic Expectations [Wednesday February 22, 2017]

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. — 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT

How we treat ourselves is often how we treat others. For example, if you receive God’s mercy, then you will be able to give mercy to others, but if you are demanding and never satisfied with yourself, you will be the same way with others.

We need to learn to be good to ourselves and yet not be self-centered. You should respect and value yourself; you should know what you are good at and what you are not good at and realize God’s strength is perfected in your weaknesses. We stress over our faults and yet everyone has them. If you had no faults, you would not need Jesus, and that is never going to happen!

Power Thought: I have realistic expectations of myself and others.

Topic: Victory Through Praise [Wednesday 22, February 2017]

Memorise: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; – 2 Corinthians 10:4

Read: 2 Chronicles 20:21-26 (KJV)

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.

22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.

24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.

Bible in One Year: Genesis 9-11, Isaiah 43:1-15

MESSAGE:

The easiest way to access victory in the kingdom of God is through praise. Each time we praise the Name of the Lord, great and marvellous things are bound to happen. If you are a believer and you do not yet know the essence of praise, you are missing a lot of blessings, opportunities and privileges. Our God is all-powerful, all-knowing and is the Almighty. The moment we are committed to the realm of praise, things begin to happen at His command. There are people who have been knocking on certain doors of opportunities before now, but to no avail. Why don’t you try praise? You will be surprised at how fast those doors will open. The fact that you are praising the One that is higher than the highest should give you the assurance that your case is settled. Praise to God is an indication of absolute trust in Him. Those who put their confidence in God will always praise Him until they receive their victory, and even after receiving their victory, they still praise Him. It is the desire of the Almighty God that all His children should move from one level of victory to the other. When the people of God praise Him, infirmities, yokes, bondage, barrenness and all the works of the devil are destroyed. In the realm of praise, every limitation gives way.

In the battle of life, some are victors while some are victims. I decree into your life that you will continue to enjoy the victory of the Lord in Jesus’ Name. Victors know how to move God into action. God is looking for people who can move Him through their praise. Such people will enjoy His mercy instead of receiving His judgement. Praise is the most powerful instrument we can use to move God. The whole of creation was designed to praise God (Psalm 150:5, Psalm 148). The greatest assignment of angels in Heaven is praising God (Revelations 4:8-9, Psalm 148:2). When we get to heaven, our assignment will be to keep praising God (Revelations 7:14-15, Psalm 145:2). Praise has greater impact whenever we come together to offer it to God, because His throne is set wherever His people are praising Him (Psalm 22:3).

When you bow before God in praise, you are showing that He alone is the Most High. Jehoshaphat enjoyed the victory of the Lord without fighting a battle! This is what praise can do. While the enemies were gathering their mercenaries and weapons of war against Judah, the people of God gathered momentum for praise. They believed in the victory of the Lord by faith, and all their enemies were smitten before them. From today, as you praise the Lord, He will stand in your place and take over every battle of your life, and your victory shall be total in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point: Father, let Your praise never cease from my lips.

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: The Christian Home (3)

Dear Reader,

It is a great joy for me to bring God’s Word your way today. It is a new day for you! Two weeks ago, I taught on: “What a Christian home is.” Last week, I explained to you the characteristics of a Christian home. Today, I want to show you what true love does in the home.

Love is a vital key for the effective running of the home. Love is the price every member of your home must pay to have a glorious home. The Word of God says: And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).

If you want your home to be a glorious one, love is the requirement and it is mandatory. Also, note that this love does not have its origin in the world, but in God. The Word of God says: He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love (1 John 4:8). A Christian home must be one where the love of God is practised as a way of life.

WHAT TRUE LOVE DOES

By true love, I mean God’s kind of love that is demonstrated in actions. Let’s see in practical terms how Jesus loves and how He expects us to love. I shall be taking my text from 1 Corinthians 13:4-5. Reading from The Living Bible, it says: Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, Never haughty or selfish or rude.  Love does not demand its own way.  It is not irritable or touchy.  It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong.

True love is patient and kind:

While Jesus walked on the earth, He was an epitome of patience and kindness. He tolerated and accommodated His disciples.  He could have given up on them out of anger, but He didn’t. Going beyond His disciples to the Jews at large, whose sick He healed, whose dead He raised and whose demoniacs He freed, Jesus was still an epitome of patience. He closed His eyes to their jeering and went to the Cross for all our sakes. Jesus was kindness personified! Many miracles He wrought were based on compassion.

God, then, instructed man to love as He did. But many things try the patience of husbands –especially, imperfect wives. However, if Christ was patient with us, then husbands ought to endure and be patient with their wives.

True love is never jealous or envious

I want you to know that Jesus was never jealous of His disciples’ achievements. When the 70 disciples went out in twos and wrought great deliverance, all Jesus said was: He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father (John 14:12). Jesus’ love compelled Him not to envy the works of His disciples, but to desire that they did greater works. Likewise, husbands need not to feel threatened by their wives’ success. Rather, they should wish them well and encourage them to put in their best. Even if the wife earns more money, perfect love places a demand on the husband to desire only good for her.

True love is never boastful or proud

Jesus never spoke proudly or boastfully of Himself.  Everything He said and did on earth, He identified God the Father as the doer. The Word of God says: …The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do… (John 5:19). Jesus had cause to boast about His works, but His eyes were focused on God and on the ones He had come to save. Some husbands tend to get carried away with the things they provide in the house and are misled to think: “I am the breadwinner in this house. I do so and so. I give and give and give!” However, when you realise that the only reason you have is because God provided for you, your language will change.

True love is not selfish, haughty or rude

“Me, myself and I”, has destroyed so many homes. Another name for it is selfishness. Marriage is built on selflessness and courtesy. Jesus, our perfect example, was not selfish. He relinquished His throne to live on the earth for 331/2 years. The Word of God says: For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Husbands must pay the price of selflessness, if they want an enviable marriage.

Does not demand its own way

Love does not demand its own way! This does not mean that the man should become subservient. No! The key word here is “demand”. This word means “to claim as a right.” Love means asking, “Could you do this please?” You’re neither begging, nor rude. It is a mixture of authority and courtesy. The Word of God says: Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones (Proverbs 16:24).

True love is not Irritable or touchy

This means that you should not be over-sensitive. Some people are offended at the slightest thing. They just flare up and fly off the handle. Some are very touchy. Husbands, learn to desensitize your nerve! If Jesus had been over-sensitive, He would have fought the Pharisees who always sought to trap him. Your wife is neither a Pharisee nor Sadducees; so, loosen up!

True love does not hold grudges or notice when it’s wronged

A grudge is an angry feeling against a person, for something he has done in the past; it leads to unforgiveness. But, true love forgives and forgets, and does not keep record of wrongs.

To have access to true love, you need to surrender your life to Christ by saying 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], [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: Keys To Fulfilling Destiny [Wednesday February 22, 2017]

Scripture:  This I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Galatians 5:16

Thought For The Day: You will never reach your destiny until you stretch your potential.

It has been confirmed that God’s original intention for creating us is to fulfil His purpose for our lives. Therefore, it is important to know what we must do in order to fulfil God’s purpose for our lives.

What are the keys to fulfilling destiny?

1. Absolute surrender to the Holy Spirit.
Allow the Holy Spirit to take over your life. You need Him to empower your will so that you will be able to do what you want to do.

2. Learn to deny yourself.
You must learn to say ‘no’ to the flesh. You must learn to tell your flesh to do what you want it to do. When the mind is made up, anything is possible.  You can only get the best of your mind when you allow it to work. You will never be able to reach your destiny until you stretch your potential.

3. Surround your life with disciplined people.
Let serious minded people be your friends (Proverbs 27:17). If you are surrounded with unserious and undisciplined people who lack self-control, your life will also lack self-control. Wrong information from the wrong association can change your life negatively.

Remember this: You will never reach your destiny until you stretch your potential.

Assignments:

1. Consciously bring your will under the control of the Holy Spirit.

2. Deny yourself the wrong things of life and associate only with people who are disciplined.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: DEADLY ENEMIES OF DESTINY.

Prayer: O LORD, give me the grace to deny myself the wrong things of life. Help me, LORD, to be totally yielded to the leading of the Spirit, in Jesus’ Name.

Daily Reading: Leviticus 13:1 to 59, Mark 6:1 to 29, Psalm 39:1 to 13, Proverbs10:10.

Amazing Fact: The longest one-syllable word in the English language is “screeched.”

Today In History: 22/02/1732 – George Washington was born on this day in Westmoreland County, Virginia.

Quote: When the rate at which a person masters and conquers his flesh increases, the rate of his progress also increases. Culled from 21 FOOLISH THINGS PEOPLE DO by Dr Paul Enenche.

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: Perfect Grace [Wednesday February 22, 2017]

Read: Matthew 5:43–48; John 8:9–11, Bible in a Year: Numbers 4–6; Mark 4:1–20

“Neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. John 8:11

Jesus’s teaching about absolute ideals and absolute grace seem contradictory.

Jesus never lowered God’s perfect ideal. In His response to the rich young ruler, He said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). He told an expert in the law who inquired as to the greatest commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (22:37). No one has completely fulfilled those commands.

Yet the same Jesus tenderly offered absolute grace. He forgave an adulteress, a thief on the cross, a disciple who had denied ever knowing Him, and a man named Saul, who had made his mark persecuting Christians. Grace is absolute and all-encompassing, extending even to those who nailed Jesus to the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” were among the last words He spoke on earth (Luke 23:34).

For years I felt so unworthy when considering Jesus’s absolute ideals that I missed any notion of His grace. Once I understood this dual message, however, I went back and found that the message of grace gusts through Jesus’s life and teachings.

Grace is for the desperate, the needy, the broken, those who cannot make it on their own. Grace is for all of us.

Prayer: Father, Your all-encompassing grace washes over us and astonishes us. May we live today as people who enjoy Your complete forgiveness and a restored relationship with You.

Jesus fulfilled the perfect requirements of the law so that we may enjoy the perfect peace of His grace.

Insight:

The life of the apostle Paul is another example of God’s grace. Because of Paul’s past, he considered himself the most undeserving recipient of God’s mercy and grace (1 Tim. 1:13–14). Although he was chosen to be an apostle to the Gentiles, Paul also gave another reason he was chosen: “God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life” (v. 16 nlt). God had you and me in mind when He saved Paul—an awesome thought. If Paul, the worst of sinners, could be saved, then there is hope for everyone else. No one is beyond the reach of God’s mercy and grace.

This message was written By Philip Yancey [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: Wrath against Sin [Wednesday February 22, 2017]

Text: Ezekiel 22:13-22

Key Verse: “Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the LORD have spoken it, and will do it” (Ezekiel 22:14).

Though Israel enjoyed a covenant relationship of being God’s own nation, she could be described as a grievous, prodigal nation. Despite God’s faithfulness to His covenant with Abraham, Israel often grieved the Lord and provoked Him to anger. Many times, the Israelites were “unstable as water” in their relationship with God. This has been a recurrent trend and a major object of reproach.

The Lord laments before Ezekiel in the following: “Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver” (Ezekiel 22:18). They were involved in some of the most shocking sins that could not be imagined of a nation whose God was the holy and mighty God.

They were involved in such sins as shedding of blood (Ezekiel 22:3); oppression of strangers, the fatherless and widows (Ezekiel 22:7); idolatry and fornication (Ezekiel 22:9); sodomy with their biological fathers and sleeping with women with blood (Ezekiel 22:10); adultery and incest (Ezekiel 22:11); hired assassination, usury and extortion (Ezekiel 22:12) and making dishonest gain. God’s response was consequently direct and clear. As a holy and righteous God, he was going to punish them according to their abominations: “As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it; so will I gather you in my anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you” (Ezekiel 22:20). As God’s people today, where do we stand? Are we indulging in some or all these evils and expecting God’s grace to abound? God forbid. God has not changed.

He won’t spare anyone found wanting. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). There must be repentance, restitution and restoration before we can escape His wrath. “Today if ye hear his voice, harden not your heart”.

Thought for the day: Sin is just a little poison; if embraced, it kills even giants.

Bible Reading in one Year: Psalm 119:1-56

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.