Topic: Give It to God — Wednesday September 6, 2017.

Read: 2 Kings 19:9–19, Bible in a Year: Psalms 148–150; 1 Corinthians 15:29–58

Then [Hezekiah] went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 2 Kings 19:14

As a teenager, when I became overwhelmed by enormous challenges or high-stakes decisions, my mother taught me the merits of putting pen to paper to gain perspective. When I was uncertain whether to take specific classes or which job to pursue, or how to cope with the frightening realities of adulthood, I learned her habit of writing out the basic facts and the possible courses of action with their likely outcomes. After pouring my heart onto the page, I was able to step back from the problem and view it more objectively than my emotions allowed.

Just as recording my thoughts on paper offered me fresh perspective, pouring our hearts out to God in prayer helps us gain His perspective and remind us of His power. King Hezekiah did just that after receiving a daunting letter from an ominous adversary. The Assyrians threatened to destroy Jerusalem as they had many other nations. Hezekiah spread out the letter before the Lord, prayerfully calling on Him to deliver the people so that the world would recognize He “alone . . . [is] God” (2 Kings 19:19).

When we’re faced with a situation that brings anxiety, fear, or a deep awareness that getting through it will require more than what we have, let’s follow in Hezekiah’s footsteps and run straight to the Lord. Like him, we too can lay our problem before God and trust Him to guide our steps and calm our uneasy hearts.

God is our greatest help in times of distress.

Insight:

Hezekiah had many reasons to fear Assyria, a cruel nation (19:25–26) that had already conquered the ten tribes of Israel (see 2 Kings 17:1–18). But God reminded Hezekiah that He was more powerful than Assyria and could be trusted to keep His promises (19:28–34).

What overwhelming situations might you need to trust God with?

This message was written By Kirsten Holmberg [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: Born Again — Wednesday September 6, 2017.

Clothe yourself with this new nature. — Ephesians 4:24 (TLB)

In Texas they tell a story about a man who used to hitch his horse every morning in front of the saloon. One morning the saloonkeeper came out and found that the horse was hitched in front of the Methodist church. He saw the man walking down the street and called out, “Say, why is your horse hitched in front of the Methodist church this morning?” The man turned around and said, “Well, last night I was converted in the revival meeting, and I’ve changed hitching posts.” That’s what it means to be born again. That’s what it means to be converted. It means that you changed hitching posts.

Prayer for the day: May I live in such a way that people will know that I am bound in the freedom of Your 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: Jesus Paid Our Debt – Wednesday September 6, 2017.

John 12:31 “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.”

Text: John 12:31

There is still a future judgment of the world coming, where the wicked will be separated from the righteous and cast into the lake of fire. This verse refers to the sins of the world that were about to be placed on Jesus and that He would suffer our punishment.

Jesus suffered the punishment for our sins, so there is no reason why we should suffer for them too. The price for sin has already been paid by the only one who could fully pay it and that is Jesus. All Jesus asks of us to make His redemption ours, is faith in Him as our Lord.

Sin has a wage it must pay and no one can avoid payday without faith in Jesus. Anyone who does not receive the new birth will be held liable for all the wrong they committed as a result of their sinful nature. However, those who receive the new birth through faith in Jesus, don’t have a sin nature and therefore, will not receive the payment of death.

Physical death as well as every result of the sin nature (i.e. sickness, depression, fear, etc.) is only a by-product of the spiritual death that was already inside of us. The Lord told Adam that in the day he ate of the forbidden tree, he would surely die (Gen. 2:17). Adam didn’t die physically that day but he did die spiritually. Physical death came 930 years later for Adam (Gen. 5:5) as a by-product of his spiritual death.

Eternal life is a gift. The dictionary defines a gift as “something that is bestowed voluntarily and without compensation; a present.” We have nothing to do with earning this gift. All you have to do is receive it by faith.

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: The Lord Is In Charge [Wednesday 6, September 2017]

Memorise: “The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!” – Psalms 21:1

Read: Daniel 4:30-35

30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.

32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.

34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:

35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

Bible In One Year: Ezekiel 36-38. Hymn: Sing Hymn 9

MESSAGE:

To be in charge is the exercise of authority and control over individuals, events, situations, or circumstances of life. The Bible stresses fact that God is sovereign over all creation; He has absolute authority and control over everything in Heaven and on earth. However, humanity has wrongly assumed that they are the master of the universe and are therefore in charge. Contrary to this human belief, the Bible teaches that God controls the affairs of Heaven and earth. Deuteronomy 4:39 says:

“Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.”

It is clear from this passage that God is unquestionable; He does as He pleases. He gives strength, He makes great, He promotes and He gives knowledge and wisdom, all at His will. The Lord controls human hearts, He controls time and seasons, He removes kings and sets up others in their place. He controls the weather and fixes human destiny. Who is in charge of your life.

Prayer Point: Father, please silence every opposition to Your authority as the Master of the universe in my life in Jesus’ Name.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional for Teen’s 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.

Topic: God’s Grace Causes Us to Grow— Wednesday September 6, 2017.

Text: 2Peter 3:18a (NIV & LB), Acts 20:32 (New Living Translation)
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… *But grow in spiritual strength and become better acquainted with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… *And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.

Colossians 2:6-7 (NKJV) says, “as you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving”. Child of God, how did you receive Jesus as your Lord and Saviour? Ephesians 2:-9 says, “for by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

You received Jesus by grace and so you will walk in Him by His grace. You will also be rooted and built up in Him by His grace. It is by His grace that you will be established in the faith. Your faith must always be in His grace. This does not at all mean that we will not participate or have any role to play; rather, it means that everything we do is fuelled by our understanding and receiving the revelation of God’s grace towards us. The revelation of God’s grace in Christ has the capacity to build you up in every area of your life. This is why Apostle Paul prayed for God to fill believers with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, Col. 1:9. The term ‘all wisdom’ here refers to every way God’s revelation can be applied to our lives.

Nothing builds and stirs up our faith like the revelation of the grace of God towards us in Christ Jesus. As we grow in faith, we are transformed and we become more mature in God. As a result, we are able to access and maximize all of the power, glory and inheritance that God has freely made available to us in Christ.

Prayer Focus: Ask God to fill you more and more with the truth about His abundant grace towards you in Christ Jesus.

Bible In A Year Reading Plan: Psalm 148-150; 1 Corinthians 15:29-58

Empowered to do exploits…

CGMI Above Only Daily Devotional, was written by Most Rev. M.E. Benson-Idahosa, Archbishop of Church of God Mission International, CGMI.

Topic: Stop Dishonouring God! — Wednesday 6, September 2017.

Memorise: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.  – Psalm 66:2

Read: 1 Samuel 2:27-30 (KJV)

27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?

28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?

29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?

30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

Bible in One Year: 2 Chronicles 11-13, Ezekiel 36:33-37:14, Hymn: Sing hymn 9: On The Hill Far Away

MESSAGE:

“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.” – Malachi 3:8

In the above passage of Scriptures, God complained about His children, who had suddenly turned into robbers. How can a worker in the Church of God or a minister of God be a thief? How can you claim to be a born-again Christian and keep on stealing? Those who rob God are no ordinary thieves. Boy, such people are really brave! Their victim is not a fellow human being but God Himself. You can be certain that such people are the worst kind of thieves in the universe! Can you imagine that idolaters fear their idols so much that they do everything possible not to break their rules? If anything is dedicated to an idol, who would dare steal it? Yet, these people throw all caution to the wind and steal what is dedicated to the Most High and they expect Him to do nothing about it, because He is a God of mercy. This is bravery gone awry! Are you one of such “holy thieves”? are you defaulting in your tithes and offering?

In the same vein, there are some foolish and ignorant people, particularly in the universities who insult God and Jesus Christ occasionally. I know this because I used to be one of them before I got saved. The opposite of honour is disrespect. If you are not honouring God, it means you’re insulting Him. Everyone who robs God of first fruits dishonours God, and if you dishonour God, you can compel him to change His promises and plan for your life (Proverb 3:9). This was what happened to the house of Eli. Hear what the Lord told Eli in 1 Samuel 2:30:

“…I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.”

May the Lord not change His great plan for your life. Do you honour Him? If you refuse to honor God, He will refuse to honour you. If you ignore Him, you will be of no consequence to him. At the end of the day, you will undo yourself by your refusal to comply with divine instructions. Refusal to honour God can turn the desirable into something detestable. It can push the good things of life that were at a person’s fingertips miles away from him or her. Dishonouring God can separate you temporarily or even permanently from your blessings. Have you been paying your first fruits yearly? How often do you honour God?

Key Point: The instruction to honour the Lord is not a suggestion but a command.

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: Mind Your Path [Tuesday, 5th September 2017]

Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?  Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.  John 21:21‭-‬22

In the proceeding verses of John 21, Christ gives Peter a couple of instructions on what to do after He was gone. And then He told Peter and John to follow. Now, Peter and John were together when Christ was giving the instructions to Peter, but He (Christ) didn’t as much as breath a word to John. Peter gets concerned about this, as John is the disciple whom Christ loved. So he asks the Master “what shall this man do?” Jesus’ reply is simple and straight to the point: “what is your business, just follow me and do as I’ve told you.” A lot of us get carried away wondering what assignment the other man is given. This may stem from pride, as we reason that we were seemingly given all the work to do. Or just plain curiosity.

This curiosity could actually steer us so far from what we are to do, as we are too busy wondering what the other man is doing. Truth is, it is not our place to worry about what the other man is doing for the advancement of the kingdom. I’m not saying don’t check on him, or advice him when he is towing the wrong path, or deviating from his assignment. I’m saying don’t go asking what he was sent to do, forgetting what you are to do. His assignment is between him and his Master, mind your path and follow the Master.

Keep winning daily.

Prayer:

Dear Father, thank You for the work You’ve called me into for You. Help me diligently follow You, and not get distracted, in Jesus’ Name Amen.

By Esun Tekeme

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: No More Hard Labour [05/09/17]

Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Isaiah 66:7. Read: Gen 35:16-19

I have a strong feeling that God is going to help someone to deliver this Month. He will single you out by His mercy and grace and send help to you wherever you may be. He will by His Divine strength deliver you from hard labour. As a child of Zion, God said concerning you, Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. This means that, you won’t need to go into a labour room, but a delivery room.

Beloved, hard labour kills. You shall not die of hard labour in Jesus Mighty Name. Our Bible reading talks about Rachel who had hard labour and eventually died in child birth. The Bible says, Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. You must trust God to deliver you from hard labour because He has already promised you safe delivery, i.e., you have the manifestation of all that you’ve been waiting on Him for. The time of hard labour has passed, it’s time to go and manifest to the world that has earnestly been waiting for you and you shall not disappoint them. The LORD Almighty shall surely assist you to fulfill purpose and impact your world in Jesus Mighty Name

#BiblePromisesPrayer:

* Father, I surrender my all to you, take away hard labour from me and grant me safe delivery in Jesus Mighty Name

Today’s Scripture: “‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’” – (2 Kings 6:16, NIV)

Topic: He’s on Your Side [Tuesday September 5, 2017]

Everyone goes through times when they feel overwhelmed or “outnumbered” by whatever is coming against them. For example, just about the time the air conditioner needs repair in your house, the transmission goes out in your car. It can seem like one thing after another. It may feel as if all the forces of darkness are coming against you, but Scripture promises that with God on your side, you have everything you need to overcome. The truth is, you are never outnumbered. You and God are a majority!

Anytime you’re feeling anxious, fearful or worried about anything, remember that God is on your side. If God is for you, who can be against you? Difficulties may come, but He promises to guide and protect you. The story isn’t over until you end in victory.

A Prayer for Today: “Father, thank You for Your faithfulness to me. Thank You for peace even in the midst of the storms of life. I know that You are with me, and I can stand strong because You will always lead me into victory in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Topic: True Love Must Give [Wednesday September 5, 2017]

In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins. Beloved, if God loved us so [very much], we also ought to love one another. — 1 John 4:10-11 (AMPC)

Everyone desires to be loved and accepted. But many of us try to find happiness the wrong way. We attempt to find it in getting, but it is found in giving. The love of God is the most wonderful gift we are given. Once it flows to us, it needs to flow from us to others; otherwise, it becomes stagnant.

Love must give because that’s its nature.  First John 4:11 highlights how we must give the love we receive: Beloved, if God loved us so [very much], we also ought to love one another.

Living in God’s true love is a process. First, God loves us, and by faith, we receive His love. We then love ourselves in a balanced way, give love back to God, and learn to love other people.

Love must follow this course or it is not complete. Once we have God’s love in us, we can give it away. We can choose to love others lavishly. We can love them as deeply and unconditionally as God has loved us.

Prayer Starter: Lord, I don’t want Your love to become stagnant in me. Help me to not only receive Your love, but to complete the process by choosing to love others lavishly.