Topic: Leave A Mark [Tuesday 11, July 2017]

Memorise: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. – 2 Thessalonians 1:12

Read: Acts 19:8-10 (KJV)

8 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.

9 But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.

10 And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Bible in One Year: 1 Samuel 26-8, Ezekiel 5:13-6:7, Hymn: Sing hymn 13

MESSAGE:

If you will be used by God to perform signs and wonders in these last days, you must have the heart of a missionary or church planter. In the days of the early Church, although there was a church in Jerusalem, Philip left his base and went to plant another church in Samaria (Acts 8:5). If God sees you as an incurable church planter, He will gladly use you in the miraculous. Take for instance Paul the Apostle: today you would find him in Corinth, tomorrow he would be in Galatia and the next time, you would hear of him being in Colossae. As he travelled around these countries and cities, he kept planting churches. He hardly visited a city without leaving a mark behind for God’s Kingdom. No wonder the Bible records that the kind of miracles God performed through Paul were quite outstanding. Acts 19:11-12 says,

“11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: 12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.”

There are some lessons we can learn from the experience of Paul in this regard. The first is that having the opportunity to travel around the globe is a great privilege. There are people who enjoy travelling from one country to another. There are some people who are required by their official assignment or business transactions to move across countries. Some go to other places for school or simply on vacation. Whatever the reason for your travels, it is a great privilege. Every Christian traveller is expected to leave a godly mark behind in the places he or she visits. How can you visit a country for a week or two and not share the gospel of Jesus Christ with at least one person? You as a true believer in Christ should be able to have converts in the different countries you visit, and if you are there for a minimum of three to six months, you should be able to start a house fellowship, or even a church. By doing this, you will be opening the door for God to use you for signs and wonders. Have you travelled away from home without winning souls for Christ or establishing a house fellowship or church for His Name? Are you ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Use the opportunity or your travels across different locations to glorify God. Travelling is meaningful if you can leave a mark of God’s Kingdom behind.

Key Point: One way of becoming a father of many nations is to have converts in every country you visit.

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: Beware Of Opportunities [Monday July 10, 2017]

Opportunity is deceptive, never be trapped by it. Stay within divine plan – that is where your security is.

Whatever opportunity offers is inferior to divine plan. Rather than responding to opportunity be in search of divine plan and abide in the same.

Stay away from anything and everything that isn’t in divine plan.

Stay away from it otherwise it can take you away from your place in destiny.

You need to possess a strong perception and discernment to know what comes from God and what is sent by satan.

Jesus was offered opportunity to be made king among men but He understood that He’s been made king of kings by destiny so He ran away from the opportunity offered by men to abide in His destiny Jh 6:15. Opportunity may appear to be a fast way of assuming prominence but it cannot last.

Topic: Offer a Sacrifice of Praise [Monday July 10, 2017]

Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name. — Hebrews 13:15

The Bible teaches that you must acknowledge and glorify God and offer up a sacrifice of praise regardless of what you may be going through. Perhaps you have been experiencing a time of trouble in your life, and you have been praying and trusting God to meet the need…but nothing has changed. While you are waiting for the answer is a perfect time to offer a sacrifice of praise.

It is easy to praise God when everything is going well, but when you acknowledge and glorify Him in the midst of a troubling situation, that is a sacrifice—and it does not go unnoticed. So offer a sacrifice of praise as you spend time with God at the end of your day.

Your SEED connects you to the BLOOD which connects you to MERCY, which in turn provokes the DISGRACE OF ACHAN.

Topic: He Killed His First Son! The Power Of Your Sacrifice!

(2 Kings 3:19-27).

Welcome to today’s devotional! Vs. 27 of today’s scripture says, “Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.” Wow! You mean God turned against His own people because of the sacrifice of a Moabite King? O yes! That’s the power of sacrifice and the mystery of sacrifice. What 700 men with swords could not do, a single sacrifice did (Vs. 26). Note: “And there was great indignation against Israel.” The calamity of Moab was exchanged by a sacrifice and by it, God “turned His back” on Israel.

Your sacrifice can terminate DELAY, end a life of struggle, scatter barriers, destroy strongholds and break the cycle of poverty. The difference today is that Jesus Christ has been offered as the greatest and final sacrifice! So you are not meant to offer human or animal sacrifice. One major source of sacrifice available to us today is SEED SOWING ( Gen. 8:22). Your SEED connects you to the BLOOD which connects you to MERCY, which in turn provokes the DIGRACE OF ACHAN.

Your SEED carries a voice that speaks day and night on your behalf! What you cannot do in 20 years, your seed can do in one day! I thank God that in this vision, testimonies of seeds sown are spreading like wildfire worldwide. What you sowed for may not have happened exactly but He makes all things beautiful in His own time! If you have sown before and have not seen results, don’t quit! See Eccl 11:6 now! You can sow again! I challenge you to still sow a special ANTI-DELAY/ACHAN –MUST –DIE SEED in this fasting program and see God turn that battle againt the enemy.

I shall send you one ANTI-DELAY PSALM which you will pray for 3 weeks when you sow and send a text/E-mail/Whatsapp to the numbers on page 96 of “War Against Haman -12” booklet. Refuse to give up now! I prophesy: The voice of your seed shall be louder and stronger than your accusers! By the power of your sacrifice/seed, that sturbborn battle shall bow. That marital or financial or indeed testimony embargo (DELAY) shall be lifted in Jesus Christ name! Sow again! Pray again!

Prayer Points: Take your best worship song now.

1. My Father! My Father!! As I Pray and sow my SEED in this fasting programme, ACHAN must die in Jesus Christ name. See above for today’s prayers!

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

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

Topic: Turn Up Your Hope [Monday July 10, 2017]

May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope. – Romans 15:13, The Amplified Bible

You know, that’s what I want to be…running over with hope! I want to dare to throw my whole life and everything I have into building a dream that comes from the heart of God. I want to get out there so far that without God’s help, I can’t get back.

Many people don’t think that way though because they’re afraid to fail. Fear of failure is dangerous. If you let it dominate you, it will cause you to do the one thing that inevitably guarantees failure and that’s not attempting at all.

How do you counteract the fear of failure?

You turn up your hope. You get alone with God and listen to Him. You meditate on His promises until the picture is so clear on the inside of you that nothing can jar it out of you.

If you’re lying on a sickbed and the doctor has told you you’ll never walk again, instead of wallowing around in that bad report, you start dreaming. You start building a dream of climbing mountains and witnessing to people in the backwoods. Go to the Word that promises that those who wait upon the Lord shall run and walk and not faint or be weary. Look at it until you see nothing else. Picture yourself walking for miles and running from one place to the next, telling everyone that Jesus has raised you up and made you whole.

That’s what hope is all about. It’s a divine dream. It’s an inner image that’s bigger than you are because it’s built on the promises of God.

If you’re a Christian, you ought to be a dreamer. Take the Word of God and build some dreams today.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 33:18-22

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: Dealing with the Reproaches of Life [Monday July 10, 2017]

Scripture: Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. 2 Kings 5:1

Thought For The Day: Your impact will handle your insult.

A reproach is a situation which causes shame, mockery, disfavour, rejection and sorrow. A reproach is an attack on someone’s identity. Its prime objective is to swallow up the name or identity of the affected person.

The case of a certain crippled man who sat at the gate called “beautiful” (Acts 3:2) was a good example. The gate had a name, “beautiful” but the man had no name; he was simply referred to as “a certain man.”

Now, let us look at the keys to dealing with the reproaches of life.

1. Maintaining a life of Impact
Naaman was a leper but he was also an expert warrior (2 Kings 5:1). People who had no leprosy were also in the army of Syria but Naaman was appointed Chief of Army Staff because he was far better than the normal people without leprosy; he outperformed others by his impact, ability and war strategies. Naaman decided to make impact despite his setback.

In one of his assignments as an Army General, he led the Syrian Army to raid Israel and they brought a little girl back home as prisoner of war. Then, he imparted, impacted and influenced the life of the girl so positively that the girl desired that he, her master, be healed. She then directed him to Prophet Elisha in Israel where he got his healing.

By virtue of impact, Naaman could not remain a leper. Your impact will handle your insult.

2. Submit yourself to prophetic instruction.
Naaman was not cleansed of his leprosy until he completely obeyed the instruction of Prophet Elisha (2 kings 5:14).

3. Immerse yourself in the Word.
Naaman dipped himself in the water seven times and he was cleansed. The Word of God is the water that washes away our reproach (Ephesians 5:26).

Beloved, immerse your life in the Word and let it wash off every reproach on your life.

Remember this: Your impact will handle your insult.

Assignment(s):

1. Ignore your setbacks and focus on your purpose of existence.

2. Value your prophetic covering and heed prophetic instructions.

3. Consistently look up to God and dwell in His Presence.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: DEALING WITH REPROACH

Prayer: O LORD, I look up to You. Let Your glory radiate around me and displace every reproach around my life, LORD in Jesus’ Name.

Daily Reading: 1 Chronicles 9:1 to 10:14, Acts 27:21 to 44, Psalm 8:1 to 9, Proverbs 18:23 to 24

Quote: Who (God) is behind you is stronger than what is in front of you. Culled from RIDING THE STORMS OF LIFE by Dr Paul Enenche.

Amazing Facts: Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.

Today in History: 10/07/1913 – The temperature in Greenland ranch, Death Valley, California, hit 134 °F (57 °C), the highest temperature ever to be recorded on Earth.

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: Time for Us [Monday July 10, 2017]

Do not worry about your life . . .  — Matthew 6:25 (NIV)

Some people ask, “Do you think God has time for me? You don’t know how mixed up my life is, how confused it is; the pressures, the tension at home, the business problems, so many things I couldn’t possibly tell you about, including the sins in my life that I somehow cannot seem to give up.” Yes, God has time for you. When Jesus was dying on the cross, He had time for a thief who turned to Him and said, “Lord, remember me.” That’s all the record tells us that the thief said, “Lord, remember me.” But what he was really saying was, “I’m unworthy. I’ve broken all the laws. I deserve hell. Just remember me.” And Jesus turned to him in that moment and said, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Prayer for the day: Even in Your greatest suffering, Lord Jesus, You had time to assure another of Your love. My heart is comforted to know this caring for my soul is infinite.

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: Our Loving Father [Monday July 10, 2017]

Luke 11:11 – “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?”

Luke 11:11

The most loving Father in the world cannot compare to our heavenly Father and the love He has for us. And yet, many times, we find it easier to believe in the willingness of a father or mother or mate to help us than in the willingness of God to use His power on our behalf. Relatively few people really doubt God’s ability, but rather, it is our doubt of His willingness to use His ability on our behalf that causes most people to do without. Jesus is assuring us that God’s love, and His willingness to demonstrate that love, is far greater than we can ever experience in any human relationship.

The Lord didn’t just save us out of pity or a sense of obligation as our Creator. He saved us because He loved us (John 3:16). It was the “good pleasure of his will” for us to become adopted sons (Eph.1:5). We are wanted and accepted by our Father! What a wonderful thing this is! It would have been more than any of us deserve to be forgiven by God. Then to be given certain rights and privileges would have been more than we could have expected. But the Lord went further than that. He has actually accepted us.

The dictionary defines “accept” as “1. to receive gladly; 2. to receive into a place or a group” (New American Heritage Dictionary). The Lord does not just tolerate us; He actually loves us. He even likes us. He rejoices over us with joy (Zeph. 3:17).

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: Marriage Is Good [Monday July 10, 2017]

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” Genesis 2:18.

Marriage is a relationship where each party is expected to give joy to their spouses.  God said let us make a help, meet for him. In other words, my wife is a help to me and if I must enjoy her as my help, I must recognize her as a help to me. If I don’t recognize that fact, I cannot benefit from her because God has already said it is not good for me to function alone. There is a level of blessing I cannot attain alone. So, he gave me a wife.

Let me ask you a question. If you find yourself drowning and somebody throws you a life line and you fail to take hold of the life line, what will happen to you? You will drown. In other words, you must take advantage of the life line if you want to live. You must grab it with both hands in order to survive. That is how God wants us to grab our own wives. Your wife is like a life line which God has thrown to you.

Now the women may rejoice and say now my husband knows that I am a lifeline to him. But let me tell the women that a life line that is not in use is useless. If you don’t understand your role as a lifeline to your husband and become useful, you become useless. This relationship is like hands in glove where no one is cheated. God covered all the bases and said husband love your wife as Christ loves the church. To love your wife means you are ready to pay every price. And of course, no woman will be unwilling to submit to someone that is willing to die for her.

One of the things that cause friction in marriage relationships is that each individual thinks they can handle it alone.  No, you can’t!  God has said it is not good for you to be alone. And when he said it is not good it is on behalf of the two parties.

Further Reading: Ecclesiastes 9:9, Proverbs 18:22, 5:15-20

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Job 41-42; Evening- Acts 16:22-40

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: Cause and Effect [Monday July 10, 2017]

Text: Ephesians 5:21-33

Key Verse: “Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband” (Ephesians 5:33).

A story is told of a very poor man who lived with his wife whose hair was so long that it touched her waist. One day, she asked her husband to buy her a comb for her long hair so it could be well groomed. The man felt sorry and said he did not have money even to fix the strap of his wrist watch which had just broken. The wife did not insist.

On his way to work, he sold his watch at a low price and bought the comb. When he came back that evening, he was surprised to see her with very short hair. She had cut and sold her hair and bought a new watch for her husband. Tears flowed simultaneously from their eyes, not because of the futility of their actions but for the reciprocity of their love. Our text likens the relationship between the husband and his wife to the relationship between Christ and the Church.

The husband is also commanded to love his wife as Christ loves the Church. These divine prescriptions are necessary frameworks for a successful marriage, not a mere checklist to use in evaluating one another’s performance. It gives couples a clear directive as to the roles to perform in order to achieve the desired objective of marriage. A nagging wife would only make a ‘naughty’ husband. Hence, the woman is called upon to submit to and respect her husband even as Sarah who called Abraham Lord (1 Pet 3:1-6). Likewise, while the husband is expected to respond practically as a servant-leader just like Christ, ready to make sacrifices for the benefit of his wife. This will be possible when there is mutual respect for one another between the couples.

Under the influence of a positive spirit, the wife easily takes deep pleasure in joyful submission to her “own husband in everything”. The ‘charming’ influence of such heart-warming attitude naturally provokes the husband to a life of sacrificial willingness to go the extra mile, in ensuring that she is well fulfilled in the relationship. Both parties should, however, be careful to get rid of caterpillars of true love – selfishness, pretence, deception, competitive spirit, lack of openness, taking advantage of the other and infidelity. These will only destroy mutual love.

Thought for the day: Success in marriage is more than finding the right person; it is being the right person.

Bible Reading in one Year: Genesis 29-31

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.