Topic: Reason to Smile [Tuesday June 20, 2017]

Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:9–28, Bible in a Year: Esther 1–2; Acts 5:1–21

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

In the workplace, words of encouragement matter. How employees talk to one another has a bearing on customer satisfaction, company profits, and co-worker appreciation. Studies show that members of the most effective work groups give one another six times more affirmation than disapproval, disagreement, or sarcasm. Least productive teams tend to use almost three negative comments for every helpful word.

Paul learned by experience about the value of words in shaping relationships and outcomes. Before meeting Christ on the road to Damascus, his words and actions terrorized followers of Jesus. But by the time he wrote his letter to the Thessalonians, he had become a great encourager because of God’s work in his heart. Now by his own example he urged his readers to cheer one another on. While being careful to avoid flattery, he showed how to affirm others and reflect the Spirit of Christ.

Encouraging one another is a way of helping one another get a taste of the patience and goodness of God.

In the process, Paul reminded his readers where encouragement comes from. He saw that entrusting ourselves to God, who loved us enough to die for us, gives us reason to comfort, forgive, inspire, and lovingly challenge one another (1 Thess. 5:10–11).

Paul shows us that encouraging one another is a way of helping one another get a taste of the patience and goodness of God.

Prayer: Father in heaven, please help us to give others a small taste of the mercy and kindness You are forever offering us.

What could be better than working to bring out the best in one another?

This message was written By Mart DeHaan [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: He’ll Take Care of You [Tuesday June 20, 2017]

Text: Psalm 119:113-120

Key Verse: “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word” (Psalm 119:114).

Mr. Stillman Martins, a well-known Baptist evangelist, was invited to preach at a church on a Sunday morning when his wife became suddenly ill. Mr. Martins seriously considered cancelling his speaking assignment to stay by his wife. But just then, their young son spoke up and said, “Father, don’t you think that if God wants you to preach today, He will take care of mother while you are away?” That afternoon, Mrs. Martins, who could not accompany her husband to his speaking engagement due to illness, became strong and showed signs of recovery.

She was inspired by her son’s words and began to write the popular hymn: “God will take care of you”. The world system is evil. Wickedness is everywhere because workers of iniquity are at work on a consistent basis. They lie in wait for innocent souls; but God is the hiding place for every believer.

His Word gives the assurance of His ever-abiding presence in times of need. Although nobody is above trials and temptation, it does not matter how you are afflicted or tempted. What matters is how you handle it. This is what determines whether you will be celebrated or not. In periods of crisis, do not allow doubt and fear to affect your faith. You may be depressed, miserable or troubled on every side.

Comfort yourself with the word of God and claim His promises that can never fail. The Psalmist said: “I hate vain thoughts; but thy law do I love”. There may be thoughts to seek help from elsewhere. But you must delight in the law of God. You must not seek help from Egypt for there is no enduring solution there. You will not be ashamed if you resolve today to hold onto the promises of God. Don’t forget the wordings of the song writer Civilla D. Martin, “Be not dismayed whatever betides, God, will take care of you…”

Thought for the day: No arrow of the enemy can deflate you, when God inflates you.

Bible Reading in one Year: Daniel 3-5

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 — Evangelism: Be More Proactive [Tuesday 20, June 2017]

Memorise: Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: – Proverbs 24:3

Read: Acts 5:12-16 (KJV)

12 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch.

13 And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.

14 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)

15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.

16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

Bible in One Year: Judges 10-11, Jeremiah 50:44-51:11, Hymn: Sing hymn 13

MESSAGE:

Soul winning can trigger the miraculous, as seen in the lives of the apostles. If you really want signs and wonders to attend to your life and ministry, you must be prepared to declare Jesus Christ at every opportunity you have, and if you lack such opportunities, you must be prepared to create them. In our Bible reading for today, it is recorded that through the hands of the apostles, several miracles were performed. This was a generic statement affecting all the apostles because they were all preaching the word of God (Acts 5:12). After this generic statement was made, Peter was singled out. Concerning him, it was said that he did not need to lay hands before miracles took place; rather, even his shadow was conducting deliverance and healing services while he was busy moving from place to place. Why was this so? How did Peter excel in signs and wonders? lt was because he took advantage of every opportunity he had to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. He could face any crowd and declare his faith in Jesus Christ to them (See Acts 2 & Acts 3). God saw this attitude and was quite impressed, and He said,

”Since you are unstoppable in declaring My word, signs and wonders will never cease in your life.”

Can you take the act of witnessing to such limits as you have never been before? In various life endeavours, several Christians plan, set goals and targets, and come up with strategies to accomplish them, but when it comes to soul-winning they don’t do any of these. As a marketer, you devise plans on how to reach out to a larger segment of the market and on how to get a larger market share for your products. That is how it should be for soul-winning too. What is your plan or strategy for winning more souls to Christ this year? For many individuals, couples or families, there is no plan for evangelism. No specific number of converts is being targeted daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. Due to this lack of planning, some people cannot boast of five converts in 12 months. What a shame! Several opportunities that God gave us to win souls have been lost to lack of planning. If you set a monthly target of winning 20 souls, you will take every opportunity that comes your way more seriously and exploit them in order to achieve your target. Success in evangelism can never be attained without a plan. Repent today and become more proactive in evangelism. Come up with a plan for the year and prayerfully pursue it. It shall be achieved in Jesus’ Name.

Action Point: Draw up a one-year evangelism plan stating the number of souls to be won daily, weekly and monthly, and prayerfully execute it.

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.

Today’s Scripture: “They turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.” – (Psalm 78:41, KJV)

Topic: No More Limits [Monday June 19, 2017]

God is a God of increase. He wants to take you to new levels and higher heights. But sometimes, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and just settle for status quo. Sometimes we think, “Well, I’ve reached my limits. I’ve gone as far as I can go. This is as happy as I’ll ever be.” But if we’re going to continue to increase and really experience God’s best, we have to align our thinking with God’s thinking.

It’s interesting that in this scripture, the people limited the Holy One of Israel. Think about that. You and I can actually limit the all-powerful Creator of the universe. How? By our thinking. What we believe either opens the door for God to move or it closes the door. God is limited in our lives by what we believe. So many people don’t even realize that it’s their own wrong thinking that keeps them in mediocrity.

Today, why don’t you take the limits off by choosing to believe God?! Feed your faith by studying His Word. Keep an open heart and mind before Him. Allow Him to work in your life and watch Him open up doors of blessing that you’ve never seen before!

A Prayer for Today: “Father God, today I choose to believe You. I take the limits off by trusting that You have good plans for my future. I invite You to search my heart and remove anything that isn’t pleasing to You. I bless You today and always in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

You spent the last nine months streamlining what you eat and drink in order to ensure that what you put in your stomach does not affect your baby’s development. Now that you are nursing your baby, you still have to be careful of what you eat. It is, therefore, essential that mothers maintain regular meals when breastfeeding to acquire important nutrients and also to increase their breast milk. Regardless, Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency shares some foods women should avoid while breastfeeding.

Fish

You don’t need to abandon fish completely, but you need to be selective about what types of seafood you eat. Some fishes can be high in mercury, which can find its way into your milk supply. So, before you eat any fish especially the packaged ones, ensure it does not have mercury.

Alcohol

Alcohol can get into your breast milk and can negatively affect your child. It is advisable to avoid it but if you have to drink, it will take 1-2 hours for it to dissolve. That means you have to wait for that number of hours if you do not want to feed your baby with breast milk mixed with alcohol. Just don’t drink alcohol.

Caffeine

For women who love coffee, they have to wait after breastfeeding before they resume drinking it. It’s important to know that caffeine also finds its way into your breast milk. If this is the case, your baby’s body will be unable to process the caffeine as quickly as an adult’s body. You do not want to keep your baby awake.

Garlic and ginger

Garlic and ginger can smell in your breast milk. If you find that your baby is reluctant to nurse, it may be because you have eaten garlic or ginger.

Dairy products

Normally, breastfeeding your baby with milk or other dairy products in the early stages of breastfeeding is not encouraged. It can affect the full development of your baby.  So, you should avoid downing milk or any other dairy products.

Adeniyi Ogunfowoke
PR Associate at Jumia Travel
+2348090747241

A Promise For You From Bible Promises: [19/06/2017]

Topic: The Empowered Minister Pt Two

Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. Psalms 66:3. Read: 1 Kings 18:30-39

It is the greatness of God’s power that brings the devil to bow, destroys his evil works in the lives of His children. When you cry over that challenge in your life when you are supposed to invoke the power of God against the evil spirit behind it, you will linger in that situation and the devil will turn you to a laughing stock. Through the greatness of God, His enemies shall flee because he respects power from the Almighty God. Enough of that demonic harassment in your life and family! Enough of that Satanic oppression, frustration and confusion! Stop him now before he stops you! Bring him to his knees now before you begin to beg him for mercy that he doesn’t have to give anyone.

The Bible says in Psalm 110:3, “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power”. There is so much unwillingness in the body of Christ not because there is no power, but because we refused to engage it. In the battle on Mount Carmel, the people were so unwilling to respond to Elijah when he asked them, if God is God follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. But the Bible says, “And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God”. 1 Ki 18:39.

#BiblePromisesQuote

* *You don’t need sugarcoated words to command the people but power. Go for power*

Topic: The Place of Planning (Part 3) [Monday June 19, 2017]

GET FACTS!

Facts are the raw materials for planning. To be a good planner you must be well informed, get the relevant facts for what you want to do. The strength of your plan is a function of the facts available to you. You can either get facts from above by divine insight or through observation. Take note of what you see around you and take counsel from others when necessary, whether they are your superiors, assistants or colleagues. Look out for people with results; People who are doers of what they preach and read their books, listen to their tapes or contact them physically.

THINK!

After you have gathered relevant facts, you have to process it through thinking. Knowledge is utilized through thinking. If you gather information without thinking, it cannot not profit you. It is through thinking that you articulate facts and information to your personal life. Wisdom doesn’t jump on people, it is born via the process of thinking. God only gives you the inspiration, which is the raw material. You have to process it in your mind through thinking till you get out the relevant facts that you need to plan your life the way you ought to and get the results that you desire.

Meditate on these: Joshua 1:8, Isaiah 1:18a