Topic: About Those Pharisees [Sunday June 25, 2017]

John 9:34 “They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.”

John 9:34

Much of the Pharisees’ problem was spiritual pride, as is very evident by this statement. They were so blinded by their arrogance that they couldn’t believe anyone who hadn’t been through their “seminary” could teach them anything.

The name “Pharisees” comes from a Hebrew word meaning “separate.” This term was applied to this sect because of its extreme devotion to the Mosaic law and commitment to leading a separated life. This was a reaction of the devout Jews who came back to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity, and saw the pagan customs and influences of the Babylonians everywhere. Not only their religion but their identity as a nation was being threatened. The Pharisees were patriots as well as religious zealots, who in the beginning served a very needed function in the Jewish nation which was struggling for survival. However, over the centuries the Pharisees had departed from the Mosaic law and had written their own interpretations of the law – interpretations which they held to be God-inspired and equal to that of Moses. In Jesus’ day this group was characterized by hypocrisy and self-righteousness. They, as a whole, persecuted Jesus and His followers and received the Lord’s most stinging rebukes.

The Pharisees, like many people today, were ignorant of achieving right standing (righteousness) with God through the simple act of receiving His forgiveness by faith and were trying to earn salvation by their own acts. No one can fulfill God’s commands (Rom. 3:23) except Jesus (Heb. 4:15). Therefore, to be righteous, we must put our faith in what He has done for us.

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: True Happiness [Sunday June 25, 2017]

And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward . . . — Luke 12:42

It is not wrong for men to possess riches. But the Bible warns that money cannot buy happiness! Money cannot buy true pleasure. Money cannot buy peace of heart. And money certainly cannot buy entrance into the Kingdom of God. Often money is a hindrance to these things. Money takes our minds off God. Riches, when used selfishly rather than for the glory of God, tend to corrupt in our hands.

Money cannot be a substitute for God. If God has given you more wealth than your neighbors, dedicate it to Christ. Realize that you are only a steward of that which God has given you and some day you will have to give an account of every penny you have spent. The Internal Revenue Service wants a record of how you spend your money, but that is nothing compared to the books God is keeping.

Prayer for the day: Father, I would be a faithful steward of all You have given to me. Make me constantly aware of Your leading so I may wisely spend any money with which I have been entrusted.

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: Don’t Lose Control [Sunday, 25th June 2017]

Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies. Exodus 32:35

When God spoke to Adam in Genesis 1:28, saying “be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground,” he was telling him, be in control. Stay always in control and don’t loose control of things on the earth. You are the governor of the earth, and you have to remain like that. But alas! Adams lost control at the very first test and just that singular moment of lapse in control, put the whole earth in a dire state.

A little lapse in control can cause us a whole lot. Is it in our emotions? We must stay in control of them, especially anger. We must not allow it to get the best of us, if not, we can damage a lot just because of a decision or an action taken in anger. We must also be in control of our appetite. This is very important. To be gluttonous is not a good habit, and gluttony is not restricted to only food. It could be anything apart from food. We must control our appetite. Scriptures say in Proverbs 23:21 “for the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.”

We must also stay in control of our desires and make sure it is not out of sync with the desires of God for us that are embedded in His word. And one way to guide against what we desire is to get God’s word into our spirit. Scriptures say in John 15:7 “but if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!” Another word for “want”, in this scriptures, is desire. So when God’s word comes into us, it controls our desires and makes it sync with God’s. We must not lose control at any level to avoid irreparable damages.

Keep winning daily.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I trust in Your Spirit to help me to always stay in control of my life at all levels. I stay in control of my emotion, appetite and desires, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Topic: Why Healing is Yours [Sunday 25, June 2017]

Memorise: But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. – Isaiah 53:3-5

Read: Isaiah 53:3-5 (KJV)

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Bible in One Year: Judges 20, Jeremiah 52:12-23, Hymn: Sing hymn 5

MESSAGE:

In life, what you tolerate goes a long way to determine what you go through, and how you go through situations and circumstances. While God expects us to be tolerant of the weaknesses, character defects and inadequacies of our fellow human beings, He does not expect us to be tolerant of the devil and his tokens. For this reason, in 1 Peter 5:9, we are commanded to steadfastly resist the devil and his antics. In fact, we are even permitted to be violent in our approach towards effectively resisting the devil (Matthew 11:12). Whatever you allow in your life, stays, multiplies and may even dominate your life! Never allow anything evil to come into your life or to continue to hibernate in your life.

One of the tokens of the liar that you must not allow is sickness. You should not tolerate sickness because it hinders you from effectively serving God. Sickness hinders and makes one an ineffective witness of Jesus Christ. If you go out to preach about Christ and His power and you are sick, some people will challenge your message, saying that the power you attribute to Jesus should first be seen in your life before they can believe. In addition, sickness hinders how we praise God. Isaiah 38:18-19 says only the living can praise God and not those in the grave. It is not easy to praise God when your body is going through severe pain. Isaiah 53:5 says,

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Jesus has already paid the price for our healing, and so when a believer remains sick, it means that the suffering of Christ over that person is being wasted. Are you sick? You cannot afford to remain sick. Receive your healing now in Jesus’ Name! Mark 9:23 says if only you believe, your healing can be delivered to you. This means that your faith is being challenged whenever you are sick. Do you have enough faith to appropriate the sufferings of Christ over your situation in order to be healed? Beyond this, God gave me a revelation that sickness does not only challenge our faith, it also challenges our Lord Jesus Christ. Since He is the Author and Finisher of our faith, when sickness challenges our faith, then it is the Author and Finisher of our faith that is also being challenged (Hebrews 12:2). This season, your healing will suddenly manifest and you will see the tokens of sickness no more.

Prayer Point: Father, since You have already paid the price for my healing, I receive all-round healing today in Jesus’ Name.

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.

A Promise For You From Bible Promises: 

Topic: The Worst Thing Ever [24/06/2017]

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:22-23. Read: LK 13:23-30

How will you feel after labouring passionately over a particular thing, when it’s now time to begin to enjoy the fruits of your labour, you are denied entrance to what you laboured for your whole life? Can you imagine after you laboured for the upbringing of your child and now it’s time to begin to enjoy the dividends, and here comes an unknown woman to reap what she did not labour for? That could be the worst thing that can ever happen.

In the kingdom of God, there is every tendency for such to happen, hence, Jesus through our beloved brother, John on the isle of Patmos said to us, Behold, I come quickly: hold that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. And in another place, He said, But that which ye already hold fast till I come. Rev 3. :11, 2:25. It could be the worst thing ever to experience on the last day when the people you preached to about the kingdom of God enter into His kingdom and you are told to depart because you did all you did for God in iniquity. This shall not be our portion in Jesus Mighty Name.

#BiblePromisesPrayer

* You shall not be a castaway. You shall not just be an immovable signpost pointing others to God’s kingdom and shall not go in yourself.

* You shall not only preach about His kingdom but you shall enter in.

* You shall not fall and falter in this race to heaven in Jesus Mighty Name.

Topic: It Takes Grace To Run The Race! (Part 2) [Saturday June 24, 2017]

Our reference scripture says, “…Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise…” You have no reason whatsoever to bemoan yourself because the very thing that looks like a handicap or limitation in your life is the very reason God called you. Men may disqualify you, but if God chooses you, your weakness becomes your strength.

God does look for mighty men, rather He looks for the weak in order to make them mighty. God does look for the wise, He looks for the ‘foolish’ (those who are foolish enough to receive and believe His Word) in order to impart them with His wisdom and make nonsense of the wisdom of the world.

Topic: He Will Never Leave Us [Saturday June 24, 2017]

[I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] — Hebrews 13:5

I was born again when I was nine years old. The night I was saved, I had to sneak out of the house to go to church with some relatives who were visiting us because my dad wouldn’t have permitted us to go if we had asked. I knew that I went to be saved that night, and I don’t even know how I knew that I needed salvation.

The pastor did not have an altar call that evening. I was really scared, but at the end of service I walked to the front of the church, taking two of my cousins with me. I looked at the pastor and said, “Can you save me?” He was sorry that he hadn’t offered an altar call, but I had a glorious cleansing of my soul that night.

I knew I was born again, but the next day I cheated in a game of hide-and-go-seek with my cousins by peeking to see where they were going, and I thought I lost my salvation! I was in my twenties before I realized that Jesus had promised not to abandon me. Hebrews 13:5 confirms this promise: For He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

Topic: Don’t Tell It Like It Is [Saturday June 24, 2017]

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. – Proverbs 18:21

Words are serious business. And, as believers, we need to get serious about learning how to use them. We need to begin to put them to work for us like God Himself does. The Bible tells us that He uses words to “call those things which be not as though they were” (Romans 4:17).

Most of us don’t have the faintest idea how to do that. We’ve spent our lives “telling it like it is.” We’ve constantly used our mouths to report on the sorry state of affairs around us. Thus, the very thought of calling “things which be not as though they were” seems a little crazy.

“You mean I’m supposed to say, ‘I’m healed’ when I’m feeling sick? I’m supposed to say, ‘I’m prosperous’ when I’m penniless? That sounds like lying to me.”

No, no. There’s a vast difference between lying and speaking by faith. A lie is meant to deceive someone. It’s designed to make someone believe something that’s not true. But to speak by faith is simply to speak words that agree with the Word of God instead of the circumstances around you. It’s speaking from your spirit instead of from your mind.

As the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:13, “We have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, I have believed, and therefore have I spoken. We too believe, and therefore we speak” (The Amplified Bible).

Now that’s important. Read that verse again. “I have believed, and therefore have I spoken.”

There are some folks who speak the words, but they don’t have the faith to back it up, and as a result, they fall flat on their spiritual faces. They didn’t actually “call things that be not as though they were.” They called things that be not the way they wished they were.

Those are two very different things. The words may be the same. But just wishing and hoping won’t get the job done. You’ve got to believe.

Begin today bringing both your tongue and your heart in line with the Word. Stop “telling it like it is” and start speaking and believing the promises of God. Put the power of words to work for you.

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 15

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.