Topic: Hold On To Your Bill Of Right — Tuesday October 24, 2017.

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.” – (Romans 10:4 KJV)

Child of God it is important you begin to accept your true nature as a believer. Your nature is not based on what you are doing but on the gift God bestowed on you. God bestowed righteousness on you so that you can do right. What then is righteousness? It is the believer’s DNA. It is your root because you are made in the image of God. Righteousness is right standing with God. God wants you to know that in all conditions you can have right standing with him such that you are not afraid to approach him like Adam was after he fell into sin at the Garden of Eden. He was hiding from the very God he should have run to. Adam did not know that he was righteous.

Righteousness is the believer’s Bill of Right. It is what you wave at the devil in the face of any challenge. I guarantee you that the devil will attack, challenge, accuse and put you down but you must hold on to your Bill of Right. Righteousness is standing before God without any sense of sin, guilt, condemnation, inferiority complex or accusation. Righteousness is standing before God as though sin does not exist. Brother Mike, how did I become righteous? The very moment you accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ, you became righteous. You do not need to do any other thing because your righteousness is your salvation benefit.

Righteousness is not based on your works as an individual. It is the work of Christ on Calvary that made us righteous. God’s acceptance of the children of Israel in the dispensation of the law for example is because of what Aaron was wearing. Now our High Priest, Jesus Christ has given us a perfect sacrifice. There is no sin in Him and so He perfected it in Himself so that when God sees His holiness in us, we are accepted. It is not about us but about Jesus. That should make you love Him more.

Further Reading: Isaiah 61:1-11, 2 Corinthians 5:14-21

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Jeremiah 3-5; Evening- 1 Timothy 4

Written by Dr. Mike Okonkwo; Is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); a versatile man of God with over 30 years of dedicated service unto the Lord.

Topic: Look And Live [Tuesday October 24, 2017]

Scripture: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:14-15

Thought For The Day: Whatever captures your attention captures your direction, and your attention sponsors distinction.

The background story of our anchor scripture is where the Israelites sinned against God in the wilderness and God sent fiery serpents to bite them and many of them died. But when the Israelites cried unto God, God instructed Moses to make a brazen serpent and hang it on a stick so that whosoever looked up to the serpent on the stick would be saved.

Now, just as Moses lifted up the serpent for deliverance, so was Jesus lifted up on the Cross of Calvary for the deliverance of mankind from the clutches death and eternal damnation through the enemy.

Today, we are being faced with diverse challenges and issues of life. The good news is that the solution is more important and stronger than the problem.

Beloved, it is important to know that you have the choice to either look at what is happening to you or what is written in the Word of God. The existence of the poisonous serpent is not in doubt, but you must be aware that the serpent lifted up will cancel the effect of the venom of the one biting you.

So, the difference in your outcome in life is determined by where you are looking at per time. Whatever captures your attention captures your direction, and your attention sponsors distinction.

Make up your mind to look at God’s solution in His Word instead of analysing the problem of your life.

Remember This: Whatever captures your attention captures your direction, and your attention sponsors distinction.

Assignments:

1. Make up your mind to focus on God’s Word and not your situation.

2. Keep your gaze on God alone.

Prayer: O Lord, I look up to You for the sustenance of my life. I declare that there is no other god besides You Lord, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: LOOK AND LIVE

Daily Reading: Jeremiah 44:24 to 47:7, 2 Timothy 2:22 to 3:17, Psalm 94:1 to 23, Proverbs 26:6 to 8

Quote: You cannot move from where you are until you see beyond where you are. Culled from, 30 SECRETS TO THE TOP by Dr Paul Enenche.

Amazing Facts: The Elephant is the only mammal that cannot jump.

Today In History: 24/10/1945 – The United Nations was founded.

Don’t Forget To Attend: The Power Communion Services tomorrow by 4:45pm and 6:30pm for the preservation of your life and destiny. Invite your friends and loved ones.

Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), is a powerfully anointed church, headquartered at Abuja, Nigeria, with Dr Paul and 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: God Goes Too! [Tuesday October 24, 2017]

But the person who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him. – 1 Corinthians 6:17, The Amplified Bible

I once heard about a great man of God who looked in the mirror every day when he put on his suit and said, “Suit, everywhere you go today, God goes in you.” And you know, he’s right. If you have united yourself to God by receiving Jesus as Lord, everywhere you go today…God goes too!

As believers, we need to start becoming more conscious of that. We need to train ourselves to be constantly aware of God inside of us, talking to us, teaching us, counseling us, empowering us and enduing us with Himself.

We need to continually remind ourselves that we are one spirit with Him. That means that every time we face a problem, every time we face an evil spirit that tries to influence and hinder our lives, God is facing it too. When we meet those things, God meets them. And He’s already overcome them!

Let me encourage you when you get dressed today to look in the mirror and say, “I am united to the Lord and I have become one spirit with Him. Body, everywhere you go today…God goes. God is in you. The power of God is in you. The wisdom of God is in you. The victory of God is in you.”

Say that to yourself every day—many times a day. Keep doing it until you begin to develop the habit of thinking that way. Cultivate a constant awareness of the reality of God living in you!

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:17-20

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: Maintaining Purity in Courtship (4)

Dear Reader,

God is interested in your marriage being successful. As I said in the previous teaching, what you do with the foundation laying stage of marriage, which is courtship, determines how successful your marriage would be. Therefore, to have a successful marriage, the most important thing is to ensure that you follow God’s principles, which He laid down when He designed marriage. The irony is, when we focus on His principles instead of our pleasure, we end up having a very satisfying and pleasant marriage!

Courtship is about open and honest exploration of each other’s lives and families, leading to engagement and marriage. Courtship is about preparation for marriage. You court in order to see if there is any reason you shouldn’t get married. There is no romantic interaction until after the commitment to marriage (wedding). This does not mean that you don’t love your spouse to be. The Bible says: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these (Mark 12:31). Loving him or her could mean disciplining, correcting and exhorting each other, to change. Other times it may be to quash a selfish desire in your heart in favour of their desires. Basically, it means taking the focus off yourself and looking at what you can invest in the other person.

Therefore, in the context of courtship there are two neighbours that we should love (i.e. keep their best interests at heart). Firstly, there is our future spouse. Keeping his or her best interests at heart would result in things like saving your sexual and emotional purity for her or him, developing your character and preparing resources for a stable marriage with him or her, etc.

Secondly, there is the future spouse of that person you are interested in. Unless you are ready for marriage, you should not be having ’emotional exchanges’ with any member of the opposite sex. You should treat every friend as though they will be someone else’s spouse. Loving that spouse as a neighbour means treating this person as a brother or sister in Christ, not defrauding their emotions or their purity but investing in them without motive for selfish gain.

Some people wonder about a relationship where there is ‘no romantic involvement before marriage’ and the possibility that a couple could get married only to find out they have no sexual or romantic feelings for each other. To clarify, however, my conviction is that you shouldn’t be romantically involved until after the commitment to marriage (wedding). Keep your romantic emotions for your husband or your wife. This is the only way that you only romance one partner in your lifetime.

If you allow the romance before the commitment, then there is the possibility of several romances, with all the pain and emotional baggage that it entails. The Word of God says: So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies (Ephesians 5:28 & 33) Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself. From the above passages you can see the underlined words.

Thus the Bible says: “love the one you married” rather than to “marry the one you love.” That is why the above verses say, “Men love your wives”. Romantic emotions should be reserved for marriage not for courtship. This is because when you get romantically involved and eventually the courtship happens to break due to incompatibility, often times these results in hurt. Therefore, keep all romantic emotions till after the wedding to avoid heart-break and hurt. Have you ever wondered while some in a relationship go mad when the relationship breaks? The Word of God says: What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh (1Corinthians 6:16).

Getting romantically involved is like being joined to become one flesh with whom you are courting. Any break in that relationship will amount to literally tearing the flesh. Be wise and don’t get emotionally involved during courtship. Let your emotions be intact. Guard your heart with all diligence because out of it are the issues that will make your marriage successful. This courtship period is quite a vulnerable period but the boundaries God has set are for the protection and preservation of your heart from hurt. It is also for the protection of your future marriage from shame that comes when the marriage bed is defiled. Take it in good faith because the commandments of God are not grievous, but they are meant to groom us.

From the foregoing, you need the help of God to maintain purity in your courtship so as to enjoy the honour in marriage. This help is obtainable by accepting Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour as you say this prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for delivering me from sin and satan to serve the living God and thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.”

Congratulations, you are now born -again! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name! Call or write to share your testimonies with me through [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).

Pastor Faith Oyedepo is the wife of Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel, and Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria.

Topic: Stop The Haste! Let Things Happen! [Tuesday, October 24, 2017]

Basic Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Welcome to today’s devotional encounter with He that is the Chief inventor, the Genesis, the Author, the Convener, the Sustainer and the Finisher or your destiny!

The Holy Ghost is reminding you that no matter how your year 2017 has been, to everything there is a reason and a time to every purpose (Verse 1 in today’s basic text). Whether you are depressed, weep, murmur, complain or use every physical effort at your disposal, I want you to know that until your time for a miracle is up, you are wasting your time. If you don’t have your expectation fulfilled yet, be patient. Don’t fight God secretly in your heart! His calendar for you is on course.

This is the last quarter of this year! Many have died since the year began! That the devil could not kill you and you are alive to be reading this write-up shows that you will be celebrated on this earth, because when there is life, there is hope! Someone said, “The haste of a fool is the slowest thing in the world.”Worry and haste slows down every dream and opens the door for failure and shame!

Never make the mistake of comparing yourself to the people that are ahead of you already. Don’t forget that even the formal Head of Microsoft Corporation, Mr. Bill Gates (also the official richest man in the world today with a personal fortune of over 86 billion dollars), said it took him 26 years when he had a desire/vision , to place a computer on every desk in most homes. He said that the road had been rough and many times, he had felt like switching jobs. But within a quarter of a century, most homes in the developed countries can boast of a computer.

Even though the developing countries are not ‘set free’ yet, he believes his vision is not in vain. Please no matter how it takes, wait! Life is lived in seasons. Your own time for breakthrough is nearer than you think. Premature victory is dangerous! Remember that destiny is an adventure you have to keep pace with. Never forget that the greatest killer of dreams is haste: The desire to reach out for things before the divinely appointed time. Please understand that: There is a time to make things happen and a time to let things happen. Heaven has a great plan for you! Wait! Look up! You will never end up in shame!

Prayer Points: Take this song: Because He lives…

1. Lord of my times and seasons, I wait upon you! I shall not be ashamed (Pray this point seriously).

2. Spirit of self-pity, comparison and haste, loose my family and me and go now in Jesus name!

3. Ask for the grace to wait concerning … (Mention any battle or problem confronting you). Pray about today now!

By Bishop (Dr) Chris E. Kwakpovwe (Cek)
Publisher/Writer Of ODM And

Rev (Mrs) Flora E. Kwakpovwe (Fek)
Co-Publisher/Writer Of ODM.

Topic: Prejudice Is Weakness [Tuesday October 24, 2017]

Judge not, that ye be not judged.— Matthew 7:1

The word prejudice means “prejudging” or “making an estimate of others without knowing the facts.” Prejudice is a mark of weakness, not of strength. Prejudice is measured by computing the distance between our own biased opinions and the real truth. If we would all be perfectly honest before God, there would be no prejudice.

Prayer for the day: You love each one of us with a love that breaks through all prejudicial barriers, Father. Forgive me for the times I judge others. Purify my heart, that I may be used to draw people together into the bond of Christ’s unifying love.

Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.

Topic: Let God Prune You His Way – Tuesday October 24, 2017.

John 15:2 “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”

Text: John 15:2

This purging has been interpreted in many ways. The illustration that Jesus is using is one of pruning; therefore, some have said this purging is a very painful process where the Lord cuts and slashes us through things like sickness, death, poverty, and other forms of tragedy so that eventually we will bear more fruit. This teaching not only promotes problems as being good, but necessary, if we want to bear more fruit.

That thinking is not consistent with the rest of God’s Word or even the context of this verse. The text makes it very clear that the purging that Jesus speaks of is done through the Word that He has spoken unto us.

Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that God’s Word was given to us “for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” That is God’s method of pruning us, and He doesn’t need the devil’s help. His word will make us “perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

That is not to say that we cannot learn through tragedy: but God has a better way. If we mistakenly think that God is bringing tragedy into our lives to make us more fruitful, then we’ll not resist the tragedies and they will not flee from us. All of us will learn by hard knocks, but the man who welcomes them with wide open arms will suffer greatly and be far behind the man who lets God’s Word have His perfect work in him.

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: Jesus in Disguise — Tuesday October 24, 2017.

Read: Matthew 25:31–40, Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 3–5; 1 Timothy 4

Whatever you did for one of the least of these . . . you did for me. – Matthew 25:40

When a friend cared for her housebound mother-in-law, she asked her what she longed for the most. Her mother-in-law said, “For my feet to be washed.” My friend admitted, “How I hated that job! Each time she asked me to do it I was resentful, and would ask God to hide my feelings from her.”

But one day her grumbling attitude changed in a flash. As she got out the bowl and towel and knelt at her mother-in-law’s feet, she said, “I looked up, and for a moment I felt like I was washing the feet of Jesus Himself. She was Jesus in disguise!” After that, she felt honored to wash her mother-in-law’s feet.

When I heard this moving account, I thought of Jesus’s story about the end of time that He taught on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. The King welcomes into His kingdom His sons and daughters, saying that when they visited the sick or fed the hungry, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matt. 25:40). We too serve Jesus Himself when we visit those in prison or give clothes to the needy.

Today, might you echo my friend, who now wonders when she meets someone new, “Are you Jesus in disguise?”

Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, You can transform the most mundane of tasks. Help me to love others in Your name.

When we serve others, we serve Jesus.

Insight:

Matthew 25:31–40 is a powerful reminder of Jesus’s care for those who are hurting. In fact, since the “least of these” (v. 40) in Matthew consistently refers to followers of Jesus (see 10:42; 18:6), the passage implies we are likely to find true believers in Jesus in circumstances of great suffering. Those who are not in such suffering are judged on their willingness to serve and join with those who are. When they do, they encounter Jesus Himself (v. 40).

When have you most strongly experienced the presence of Jesus through being with someone who was suffering?

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