Topic: The Superiority Of Divine Direction (Prt 2) [Thursday June 29, 2017]

Expertise is good, but it is not enough. Competence, naturally will enhance your output but the truth is, divine direction is superior. As a matter of fact, when divine direction is absent expertise and competence will still end in frustration. One thing you cannot do without in life, is divine direction.

I’d like you therefore to take some time to reflect over the issues of your life. If there is any thing you are struggling with despite the fact that all other kingdom principles are in place, you may need to check it. Have some quiet time, get into God’s presence and ask Him, “Lord what is it?” Make enquiries! For, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Prov 16:25). And you know God said, “…My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways…” (Isa 55:8-9). Divine direction is all about locating God’s way to your desired or expected end.

Divine direction was the secret of the exploits that David enjoyed all through his lifetime. A good number of the psalms contain his prayers for God’s guidance. “…For thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me…” (Ps 31:3). “Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path…” (Ps 27:11), etc. Enough of frustration and stagnation! Put aside your expertise, go for divine direction.

Meditate on these: Prov. 3:5, Jeremiah 17:5

Topic: Power from Heaven [Thursday June 29, 2017]

But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth. — Acts 1:8

It is possible to fill a glass with water without filling it to full capacity. Likewise, when you are born again you have the Holy Spirit in you, but you may not yet be totally filled with the Spirit. Many Christians are very busy doing things for God but don’t have enough power in their lives to be what God wants us to be.

Going through the motions and following religious formulas is a waste of time. You must have the revelation that Jesus is alive within you and allow Him to change you and make you a new creature in Christ. Don’t tuck God away for emergencies and Sunday mornings. Allow Him to work freely in every area of your life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Topic: Be Willing! [Thursday June 29, 2017]

If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. – Isaiah 1:19

A healthy body. Enough money to pay all your bills and extra to invest in the work of the gospel. A godly marriage and happy, healthy children. Peace of mind. God has prepared a banquet full of blessings for you. Kenneth Copeland’s daily devotional June 29, 2017 – Be Willing!

But those blessings are not just going to fall in your lap. You must be willing—as well as obedient—if you’re going to eat the best from God’s table.

So, be willing!

Don’t be willing for Satan to put sickness on your body. Be willing, instead, to be well! In honor of Jesus’ sacrifice at Calvary, refuse to accept anything less than divine health.

Don’t be willing to live in lack, but be willing instead to live in divine prosperity and abundance. Refuse to allow Satan to stop the flow of God’s financial blessings to you.

Be willing to receive God’s best plan for your marriage and your children. Don’t settle for the norms of the world. Live above them in a home full of love and harmony, a home that is what God meant it to be.

Don’t allow Satan to substitute anxiety and ulcers for the peace and undisturbedness that Jesus bought for you. Be willing and obedient to cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.

Refuse to be robbed of the banquet of blessings that has belonged to you since you became a believer. Be willing to eat the good of the land!

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 8:5-20

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: The Hands of Jesus [Thursday June 29, 2017]

. . . I was hungry, [and] you gave me food . . . — Matthew 25:35 (NEB)

During the war a church in Strasburg, Germany, was totally destroyed; but a statue of Christ which stood by the altar was almost unharmed. Only the hands of the statue were missing. When the church was rebuilt, a famous sculptor offered to make new hands; but, after considering the matter, the members decided to let it stand as it was—without hands. “For,” they said, “Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work on earth.

If we don’t feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, entertain the stranger, visit the imprisoned, and clothe the naked, who will?” Christ is depending on us to do the very things which He did while upon earth. My friend, if the gospel we preach does not have a social application, if it will not work effectively in the work-a-day world, then it is not the Gospel of Christ.

Prayer for the day: I look at my hands, Lord Jesus, and ask You to use them this day. Make me conscious of the needs of those who hurt.

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: Grow In Grace [Thursday June 29, 2017]

Luke 9:55 “But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.”

Luke 9:54-56

Jesus was constantly being accused of breaking the law of Moses. He taught differently than the law of Moses (Mt. 5:21-48), and now He rebukes His disciples for desiring to do what an Old Testament prophet did with God’s blessing and power. However, Jesus didn’t come to destroy the law but to fulfill it.

Jesus came not to destroy men’s lives but to save them (Jn. 3:16; 10:10).

“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them” (2 Cor. 5:19). Jesus was just in doing this because He bore our sins (Isa. 53:4-6) and the accompanying wrath of God (Mt. 27:46; Heb. 2:9). Jesus didn’t reject God’s judgment against sin; He bore it (2 Cor. 5:21). Therefore, He was able to extend the grace and mercy of God to those who would have been doomed under the law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39).

The Old Testament law was like a judge passing sentence upon sin. Jesus became our advocate (or lawyer). Even more than that, He became our substitute, bearing “our sins in his own body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24).

He didn’t destroy God’s judgment; He fulfilled it in Himself, so that we could go free. This forever changed God’s dealings with sinful man. In light of what Jesus has done in the New Covenant, we would be rebuked for trying to release God’s wrath upon others as was done in the Old Covenant. Likewise, if Jesus would have been on the earth in His physical body, reconciling the world unto Himself in the days of Elijah, then Elijah would have been rebuked for his actions, as recorded in 2 Kings 1:9-15. There is a difference between Old Testament law and New Testament grace. “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1:17). Grow in grace.

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: Rest In God [Thursday June 29, 2017]

Text: Psalm 119:121-128

Key Verse: “Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes” (Psalm 119:124).

Faron Young, a famous American singer and songwriter, who was married for over 32 years, plunged himself into alcoholism. This badly affected his life and he got separated from his wife. The court ordered him to pay her a lifetime alimony of $l,000 every month. After years of loneliness, heartache and pain coupled with prostate cancer, Young shot himself.

That was where he got it wrong, forgetting to surrender his challenges to Christ. The text, the prayer of the Psalmist, exposes his frailty, weakness and helplessness. It was a heartfelt prayer from someone, who was not pretentious but was in pain and suffering. He cried out his mind to God to get involved in his situation. He knew God abhorred sin and with it, no one would have access to Him. Therefore, he maintained a righteous life. He cried for God’s grace and mercy, being sure that God was his sole hope and unfailing resource of life.

He actually needed to be strengthened and so, he asked God for His deliverance. He pointed out that he was God’s servant, who obeyed Him at all times. He asked for understanding to know Him better through His Word. Sometimes, we could be in such a devastating and helpless situation, where we could cry day and night, seeking God’s deliverance and safety. We could feel vulnerable, often seized with fear that our enemies, who desire to hurt us, might have their way.

When you are so hard pressed with challenges, call upon God and you will be sure your appeal to Him will not be in vain. He will be delighted when you take Him at His word. So, come directly to Him and tell Him how you wholeheartedly depend upon Him. You might be an open target of the enemies, but God is there to protect you.

Thought for the day: He who wholly focuses on God can never be trapped in the minefield of life.

Bible Reading in one Year: Esther 1-5

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.

Topic: The Power That Creates Vacancy and Opportunity [Thursday June 29, 2017]

Scripture: Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him. 1 Samuel 16:18

Thought For The Day: The Anointing creates opportunities and vacancies for the manifestation of potentials and deployment of talents.

It has been confirmed that everyone is wired by God with one potential or the other. However, much potential has been caged in the lives of people because the opportunities to manifest them were not created. That is why one may have discovered that he is multi-talented, but at the same time, multi-limited.

Now, how do we give expressions to the potentials or talents in us?
It is by contacting the Anointing!

The Anointing creates the avenue for the manifestation of one’s potential and talent. So, the Anointing creates opportunities and vacancies for the manifestation of potentials and deployment of talents.

For instance, the moment the Anointing came on David, opportunities began to open up for him. A vacancy was created in the king’s palace for David to minister before the king. He also became the king’s armour bearer (1 Samuel 16:19-22). So, the Anointing creates opportunities and vacancies for the manifestation of potentials.

The truth is, to the anointed, a problem is a platform for promotion. This was the experience of Joseph. When God wanted to promote him, he made Pharaoh to dream dreams that could not be interpreted by anyone but Joseph (Genesis 41:1-8).

My counsel is, desperately desire the Anointing of God on your life for the deployment of your potentials and talents.

Remember this: The Anointing creates opportunities and vacancies for the manifestation of potentials and deployment of talents.

Assignment(s):

1. Identify the potentials and talents in your life.

2. Ask God for the power to manifest the gifts of God in you.

Prayer: O LORD, I ask for the grace to manifest the potentials and talents in me. Empower me to download all that you have uploaded in me, LORD, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: THE POWER OF THE ANOINTING.

Daily Reading: 2 Kings 15:1 to 16:20, Acts 19:13 to 41, Psalm 147:1 to 20, Proverbs 18:4-5.

Quote: Without the Presence of God, a man is nothing notwithstanding what he has and who he is. Culled from 30 SECRETS TO THE TOP by Dr Paul Enenche.

Amazing Fact: A person can live without food for about a month but only a week without water.

Today In History: 29/6/1917 – The Ukraine proclaimed independence from Russia.

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: Continue In The Word Of God [June 29, 2017]

“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:15

If you must serve God with all your heart, faithfully and be ready to make it on the last day, there are things that you will suffer because there are things that will make you to almost compromise your faith. It is not going to come easy. This is the challenge of the last days. There are so many compromisers in the body of Christ today. You may be singing and clapping but I want you to find out if there is any area you are compromising today. Is there any sign of compromise in your life?

2 Timothy 3:13 says, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse.” It says evil will become greater. It won’t reduce. It says, “Deceiving and being deceived.” But Paul admonished Timothy saying, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.” Why? “……That from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures.” What are those things you have known from childhood? That means God’s word works every day under any circumstance or situation. You must never turn your back on it simply because there is pressure.

The scripture is what will make you wise and to rise above the wisdom of this world. If you function like the average person you see on the street, then you are not wise. The bible has the answer to all the challenges of life but most Christians see it as a religious book. It has all the answers. It is the book of life. Some of us are falling prey to the enemy because we are not wise. Do you continue in the word? Paul said it is the scripture that makes you wise. Why does it make you wise? It is because the world does not understand it. It doesn’t make sense to the world.

Further Reading: Psalms 119:96-100, 105, 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Job 14-16; Evening- Acts 9:22-43

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: Faith in Action [Thursday June 29, 2017]

Read: James 2:14–26, Bible in a Year: Job 14–16; Acts 9:22–43

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. James 2:18

As a friend drove to the grocery store, she noticed a woman walking along the side of the road and felt she should turn the car around and offer her a ride. When she did, she was saddened to hear that the woman didn’t have money for the bus so was walking home many miles in the hot and humid weather. Not only was she making the long journey home, but she had also walked several hours that morning to arrive at work by 4 a.m.

By offering a ride, my friend put into practice in a modern setting James’s instruction for Christians to live out their faith with their deeds: “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (v. 17). He was concerned that the church take care of the widows and the orphans (James 1:27), and he also wanted them to rely not on empty words but to act on their faith with deeds of love.

Lord, may I never forget the sacrifice that gives me life.

We are saved by faith, not works, but we live out our faith by loving others and caring for their needs. May we, like my friend who offered the ride, keep our eyes open for those who might need our help as we walk together in this journey of life.

Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, You did the ultimate deed by dying on the cross for me. May I never forget the sacrifice that gives me life.

We live out our faith through our good deeds.

Insight:

Good works are the byproduct of our faith. James deals with the evidence essential to show the world that our faith is genuine. He wrote, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds” (2:18). Authentic trust in God will always manifest itself in loving and caring for others.

How can you demonstrate your faith in Christ to someone today?

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