Topic: How’s Your Spiritual Maintenance? [Friday September 15, 2017]

The cares and anxieties of the world and distractions of the age, and the pleasure and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and suffocate the Word, and it becomes fruitless. – Mark 4:19, The Amplified Bible

Did you know that the seemingly innocent things in your everyday life can suffocate your spiritual life if you allow it?

A friend of mine said the Lord told her in prayer one day that this nation had become a nation of maintenance men. You have so many things to maintain, He told her. You maintain your house. You maintain your car, your yard, your machines, your hair….

It’s true. You can become a maintainer of so many natural things that you don’t have any time left to maintain your own spirit!

When you find yourself in that situation, it’s time to simplify your life. I’ve had to learn that myself. Now when I’m considering something I think I need, I don’t just count the cost in dollars and cents. I think about how much time it will take to maintain it. I check to see if I can spiritually afford it.

Second Timothy 2:4 tells us not to get entangled in the affairs of this life. One thing I’ve learned over the last 45 years: Nothing is as important as spending time in prayer and in the Word with the Father. Absolutely nothing in my life is as vital as that.

Scripture Reading: Mark 4:18-24

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: Lay Aside Every Weight — Friday September 15, 2017.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” (Hebrews 12:1 NKJV)

These days, there are so many things begging for our attention. Whether it be work conditions or family issues, health challenges or financial constraints, the truth is they all encumber us and threaten to take our attention away from that which is the truth of the word of God. That is why I have come to encourage you to put them aside.

Whatever the devil has decided to lure or mislead you with, put it aside. Pay no attention to what the devil is doing for his intention is to distract you in your walk with God. What exactly has God instructed you to do in our text scripture? You are to ‘lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that is set before you.’ When you get rid of the baggage and refuse to acknowledge the enormity of the challenges, you have won the battle halfway.

Now, it is important that you keep your mind engaged. If all these things are not supposed to be on your mind, then what should be? What should you occupy your mind with? The race that is set before you. Everyone has a divine calling. You have something that the world needs. You are an answer to a particular problem. God has equipped you to provide the answers to some of the challenges facing the world. Focus on your calling. Focus on your race. Don’t allow the enemy to cheat you out of your inheritance.

Get busy in God’s work. Keep yourself busy and results will begin to come to you. Every little effort will bring a great reward. This is your season of celebration. You will overcome every challenge that comes your way in Jesus name.

Further Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:24

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Proverbs 22-24; Evening- 2 Corinthians 8

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: Is It Well With Your Soul? [Friday September 15, 2017]

And how does a man benefit if he gains the whole world and loses his soul in the process? For is anything worth more than his soul? — Mark 8:36,37 (TLB)

In the world in which we live, we give most attention to satisfying the appetites of the body and practically none to the soul. Consequently, we are one-sided. We become fat physically and materially, while spiritually we are lean, weak and anemic. The soul actually demands as much attention as the body. It demands fellowship and communion with God. It demands worship, quietness, and meditation. Unless the soul is fed and exercised daily, it becomes weak and shriveled. It remains discontented, confused, restless. Many people turn to alcohol to try to drown the cryings and longings of the soul.

Some turn to a new sex experience. Others attempt to quiet the longings of their souls in other ways. But nothing but God ever completely satisfies, because the soul was made for God, and without God it is restless and in secret torment.

Prayer for the day: Dear Lord, I thank You that when my soul cried out for forgiveness and love, You were there. Today help me to live as Your child should.

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: Faith Is A Muscle – Friday September 15, 2017.

Matthew 21:26 “But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.”

Text: Matthew 21:23-27

Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” These men were seeking to snare Jesus in His words, but they couldn’t because He was safely trusting in the Lord. It was easy for Jesus to “turn the tables on them” and catch them because they feared man (Jn. 5:44).

Jesus had already shown that all of their works were done so that they could be seen of men (Mt. 6:5). They were not really seeking to please God, but were doing all their religious works for the praise of men. It is totally vain for a man who is bound by the fear of man to try to intimidate a man whose trust is totally in the Lord.

When David fought Goliath (1 Sam. 17), everyone mocked him because of his belief that he could win. Goliath was a giant and he was only a small boy. But David said something very important in his defense. In 1 Samuel 17:34-37, David revealed that this was not the first time he had depended on God for a victory against something bigger than himself. He had already killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands. He KNEW he could defeat Goliath with God’s help. Faith must be developed much like a muscle. Those who wait until the day of the contest to start training are going to lose. That’s not the way it works in the natural or the spiritual.

What is life all about? What is the purpose of one’s existence? What is to be gained in life? What do people live for? When we say “so and so” is my life, we mean that all of our attention, our focus, and our purpose for living, is directed towards and revolves around that person. In a similar way, we need to be totally consumed with Christ and His life. True life is only to be found in Christ. It is not to be found in prestige, fortune, fame, or things, but only in the one who is life – Jesus Christ.

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: What’s Your Father’s Name? — Friday September 15, 2017.

Read: John 8:39–47, Bible in a Year: Proverbs 22–24; 2 Corinthians 8

To those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

When I went to buy a cell phone in the Middle East, I was asked the typical questions: name, nationality, address. But then as the clerk was filling out the form, he asked, “What’s your father’s name?” That question surprised me, and I wondered why it was important. Knowing my father’s name would not be important in my culture, but here it was necessary in order to establish my identity. In some cultures, ancestry is important.

The Israelites believed in the importance of ancestry too. They were proud of their patriarch Abraham, and they thought being part of Abraham’s clan made them God’s children. Their human ancestry was connected, in their opinion, to their spiritual family.

Hundreds of years later when Jesus was talking with the Jews, He pointed out that this was not so. They could say Abraham was their earthly ancestor, but if they didn’t love Him—the One sent by the Father—they were not part of God’s family.

The same applies today. We don’t choose our human family, but we can decide the spiritual family we belong to. If we believe in Jesus’s name, God gives us the right to become His children (John 1:12).

Who is your spiritual Father? Have you decided to follow Jesus? Let this be the day you trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and become part of God’s family.

Prayer: Dear Lord, You are my heavenly and eternal Father. Thank You for Jesus, my Savior.

God is our Eternal Father.

Insight:

The Israelites of Jesus’s day had many Old Testament heroes, but three soared above the rest. David was the great king who established the city of Jerusalem and stabilized the kingdom. Moses was the leader who was given the law of God. He was God’s instrument of deliverance and led the Israelites to the threshold of the land of promise. But their most ancient hero was Abraham—the father of the faithful and the man whose faith was counted to him as righteousness. Jesus, however, surpasses this great heritage, for through Him we become children of God Himself.

This message was written By Keila Ochoa [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: A Divine Curse — Friday 15, September 2017.

Memorise: Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.  – Malachi 3:9

Read: Mark 11:12-14, Mark 11:20-21 (KJV)

12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:

13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.

14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

Mark 11:20-21:

20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.

Bible in One Year: 2 Chronicles 33-34, Ezekiel 40:48-41:11, Hymn: Sing hymn 6 – Deeper, Deeper

MESSAGE:

When you go through the Scriptures and see the effect of a divine curse on those who were cursed, you would do just about anything to avoid a curse from God. Although a curse from one man to another can have terrible effects, if spiritual help is sought from someone operating at a higher level than the source of the curse, such curses can be terminated. It’s a dilemma however, if the source of a curse is God. There would be no one to run to in such cases. When God cursed the ground after the fall of Adam, from that moment till now, the earth has not been yielding produce to its full potential. Wait until you see what this same ground can produce after the curse is lifted during the millennial reign of Christ! Similarly, when God cursed Cain, it had a terrible effect on him (Genesis 4:9-15). Cain was supposed to be the first born of the whole earth, but when he was cursed, he became a vagabond. Virtually everyone he met desired to kill him, even without offending them. No wonder he cried to God for clemency. Genesis 4:13-14 says,

“13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.”

Moreover, in today’s Bible reading, Jesus cursed a fig tree which appeared to have fruit but had only leaves. By the following morning, the tree had completely withered from its very roots. When God places a curse, it begins to operate from the root upwards. I once visited the capital of a state in Nigeria some years ago. This state had a lot of mighty rivers, yet the state capital had no pipe-borne water. Surprised, I made some inquiries on why this was so, and I was told, “Sir, there is a tree in the center of the capital that should not be uprooted. They even had to build a road around it. As long as the tree remains, nothing good happens to this town.” I said “Is that so?” then I quietly added, “No problem, we are here.” I then cursed the tree in the name of the Lord. That very night, there was a storm in the town and by the following morning, the tree was uprooted completely. Any evil tree tying down your progress is cursed today in the Name of Jesus! I command it to dry up and be uprooted in Jesus’ Name! Are you under a divine curse? Immediately run to the cross of Calvary in repentance and make your way right with God, and thereafter, seek His face for mercy. May you find favor in His sight today!

Action Point: Examine yourself to see if you have brought a divine curse upon yourself and your family by your actions, and immediately return to God in repentance and restitution.

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: When Robbers Visited That Home! -2 [Thursday 14 September, 2017]

(Job 42:7-14).

Re-collect yesterday’s devotional where robbers visited a home and asked both the wife and husband to shoot themselves. Remember that the husband could not shoot the wife but the wife shot the husband even though threr were no bullets in the gun. It was a trick by the robbers. The questions that arose were:

1. Now if you were the man in that house, how would you react towards your wife?

2. If you were the wife, what explanation would you give to your husband?

3. If you were invited to bring peace between this couple, what advice would you give?

As you send your written reply to this email: [email protected] the Holy Ghost wants you to know however that divorce is allowed on the grounds of adultery and unfaithfulness. Unfaithfulness in this context could mean a million things since adultery is not expressly involved. And the Holy Ghost is also speaking to a user of today’s devotional with this question:

What is that TERRIBLE OFFENCE done against you which you cannot forgive? As I write today’s devotional, it is laid in my heart that about 52,000 ODM users are living in one form of un-forgiveness or the other, and this is blocking so many testimonies. Un-forgiveness or bitterness are EVIDENCE BLOCKERS.

Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die from it. Also, Unforgiveness chains us to the past, poisons the present and keeps us from what the Lord has for the futre. So, no matter the offence, never allow another person’s offence to become your cemetery. Do you know that Satan can deliberately use people to provoke you in order to block you? It was after Job prayed for his friends that his friends refused to offend him. Do you know that those friends were thorns in his f;esh? Determine that no man or woman can become the reason to delay your breakthrough this year. Let Go and Let God!

Prayer Points: Take any song of worship.

1. Thank God for today’s word and pray as you are led!

2. Repent from any way in which you are still bitter about anybody now or in the past.

3. By the grace of God, no man or woman shall WASTE my prayers due to un-forgiveness. I release forgiveness to the following person(s)- (Mention names now if possible).

4. My Father God, in the days and months ahead, do not allow me to see any battle that will consume my faith in You.

5. Pray about today seriously and any other issue(s) affecting your peace.

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

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

Topic: Waiting on God [Thursday September 14, 2017]

Before I knew much at all about trusting God, it really frustrated me when I needed God to do something that I knew would be quite easy for Him, yet He seemed to be doing nothing at all.

I now realize that even though nothing was changing in my circumstances, God was working in me. He was stretching my faith, and by doing so, He was expanding it and making it stronger. Because I did not know how to trust God, I was miserable the entire time I had to wait, and I am sure my wait was much longer than it would have been had I known how to trust Him.

Life does get easier as we gain more experience with God. We learn that although He is usually not early, He truly is never late—at least not according to His timetable.

Patience is not merely the ability to wait, but also how we behave while we wait. We will all wait on many things in life, but to “wait patiently” is the goal God has in mind for us. Waiting patiently is simply not possible unless we trust that God’s character is without flaw, and that He is good and displays His goodness to us as long as we live.