Topic: Soul-Winning and Signs [Tuesday 13, June 2017]

Memorise: For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! – 1 Corinthians 9:16

Read: Acts 8:5-8 (KJV)

5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.

6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.

7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.

8 And there was great joy in that city.

Bible in One Year: Joshua 22, Jeremiah 48:28-44, Hymn: Sing hymn 13

MESSAGE:

During a time of famine, the Lord instructed Elijah to go to Kerith Brook, stay there and a raven would continuously bring him food there (1 Kings 17:2-6). He said, “Yes sir” and obeyed. He did not hesitate or question God. He did not even ask God to show him where ravens ever brought food to anyone in the Bible. He obeyed instantly. Instant obedience is strong evidence of faith. Anyone who would work signs and wonders in these last days must be a man or a woman of faith. Do you have enough trust in God to the extent of obeying Him without hesitation?

Moreover, in addition to faith, the fellow who wants to operate in the miraculous must be an incurable witness for Christ. He or she must be a soul-winner. In today’s Bible reading, Philip did not wait for Peter to come and conduct a crusade in Samaria. He went there himself because he believed in God’s command to go out and preach the gospel. People who are diligent in soul-winning usually have their prayers answered speedily. People often ask me what I do to get God to answer my prayers speedily aside from living holy. I tell them soul-winning and instant obedience. Even if you are going to kill me, I will still share the gospel of Jesus Christ with you. I do not look at faces to determine who I witness to or not. If I am attending an occasion and you make the mistake of giving me the microphone, you will hear about Jesus.

Some years ago, I received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Ibadan. It was a serious gathering with eminent personalities of the political elite, traditional title holders and academicians all gracefully adorned in their beautiful gowns. At some point, they gave me the microphone and told me I had five minutes to say something. I thanked them for honouring me and quickly added that I could not have received this honour but for Jesus. I further said that there is an honour waiting for some people in Heaven and that if they do not give their lives to Jesus, although they can be honoured here on earth, they will lose the labour of Heaven. I then gave an altar call. Beloved, witnessing for Jesus is our assignment wherever we go. Talk about Jesus everywhere you go and He will repay you with signs and wonders. When last did you win a soul to Christ? How many souls have you won to the Lord since the beginning of this year? You were saved and chosen for this reason. Are you fulfilling God’s purpose of winning the souls of the lost?

Key Point: As God works with evangelists, He will always confirm their words with signs and wonders in order to convince unbelievers. That’s a key to the miraculous.

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: God Is Not Jealous [Tuesday, 13th June 2017]

…for God is love. 1 John 4:8

Love is never jealous neither does it envies. So also is God. Scripture calls God Jealous in Exodus 34:14, and it also says that God is “a jealous God.” But that scripture is referring to God’s desire not to allow His people serve (show affection for) another God besides Him. But, in 1 Corinthians 13:4, envy, which is also stated as jealousy in the New Living Translation version of the Bible, means to boil over with hatred and anger. And this only produces negative results.

God is never jealous, neither does He boils over with anger. Sometimes, we see folks who are terribly pleasing Satan and carrying out his scheme with utmost zeal and fervency. God sees them also. But He is not jealous at Satan because of them. Instead, in His compassion and love, He wants to draw them to Himself. He knows that they are in the wrong and are heading to eternal destruction. But He does not want them to end up like that (Ezekiel 33:11).

God is not jealous of the spread of the kingdom of darkness because He knows that His kingdom provides a better deal and that His kingdom will always trump the kingdom of darkness. The jealousy of God is not geared towards hurting people, but it is geared towards retaining the affection and passion of His people. Some folks will, because of envy or jealousy, hurt the people they are envious of, but God will never do such. God is not jealous or envious. Be like God.

Keep winning daily.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thanks for Your jealous affection towards me that keeps me in Your love. You are never jealous nor envious to hurt people. Work in me to be like You in this regards, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Topic: How to be Happy in Your Home (2)

Dear Reader,

It is a wonderful time in God’s presence. Last week, I started sharing with you on how you can be happy in your home. This week, I will be teaching on Hospitality: the Gateway to a Happy Home.

What is Hospitality?

Hospitality is the friendly, generous reception and entertainment of guests or strangers, especially in one’s home. It is the willingness to share, with discernment, what God has given you. This includes sharing your home, finances and food with others. Hospitality is an attitude of stewardship, knowing fully well that you do not own anything but you are merely the caretaker and God is the real owner.

He desires that you share His love with others, and all these must be done in reverence and gratitude to Him. Likewise, in relationships, you can be hospitable yet honour the boundaries of others; sharing all you have without strings attached. This will convince them that you are a Christian thereby leading to the growth of the Church. The Word of God says: Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2).

Hospitality also enables you contribute to the development and growth of your family, friends, and fellow Christians; it is the door to discipleship. Without hospitality, discipleship will be limited because it is an integral part of the Great Commission that Christ gave us as a Church. (Matthew 28:18-20). You must be willing to go beyond your defined needs, comforts, and ideals to provide an environment that contributes to the physical and spiritual growth of people around you. Furthermore, we must understand that hospitality is not a gift; rather, it is a call to us all!

One of the most important calls that Christ gave His church is to show hospitality towards people. We are His ambassadors who He uses as His welcoming arms to draw people from outside into His presence! He is the Seeker; we are the ones He seeks, and sometimes we are the ones He uses to seek others (It is God’s desire that all His children be saved, yet it is only a few that accepts His grace). It is the role of the Holy Spirit to save people, and we are the instruments through which He works. So, we must be a church that welcomes not only believers, but also those who may never have been inside a church before. This ministry of hospitality is about being His ambassador on the earth.

As a single person, you can also be hospitable. Rebecca was a perfect example of hospitality. When Abraham’s servant came to Mesopotamia to take a wife for Isaac, he said a prayer to God:…Let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down your pitcher, I pray you, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give your camels drink also: let the same be she that you have appointed for your servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that you have showed kindness to my master (Genesis 24:14). Abraham’s servant knew that Isaac belonged to a hospitality addicted family. Thus, he prayed for a kind and hospitable wife for him.  He knew that any woman who would offer water to a stranger and his camels would be a hospitable person. The criteria for his choice were not based on possessions, height, beauty or education; but a warm and loving heart.

Singles who are hospitable will certainly welcome their life partners unknowingly. Do you believe God for a life partner? How hospitable are you? The choice is yours!

Let brotherly love be the reason for reaching out to others (Romans 12:10/13). Brotherly love makes hospitality easy, it makes you want to reach out to others and give them a helping hand and it is also what makes you want to share what you have with others. This was the strength of the first century church; no one had a need among them. Those who had, eagerly distributed to others who had none; they shared all things in common (Acts 2:44-45). As a result of this display of brotherly love, God’s power was evident in their midst. You need to be sold out to hospitality; it’s the path to God’s presence in your marriage and home.

However, the grace to be hospitable is available when you give your life to Christ. You do this by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour. If you want to receive this grace, could you please say this prayer of faith with me? “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.”

Congratulations! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are born again and you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name!  Call or write to share your testimonies with me through [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building a Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored)

Topic: Consider the Clouds [Tuesday June 13, 2017]

Read: Job 37:1–16, Bible in a Year: Ezra 6–8; John 21

Do you know how the clouds hang poised? Job 37:16

One day many years ago my boys and I were lying on our backs in the yard watching the clouds drift by. “Dad,” one asked, “why do clouds float?” “Well, son,” I began, intending to give him the benefit of my vast knowledge, but then I lapsed into silence. “I don’t know,” I admitted, “but I’ll find out for you.”

The answer, I discovered, is that condensed moisture, descending by gravity, meets warmer temperatures rising from the land. That moisture then changes into vapor and ascends back into the air. That’s a natural explanation for the phenomenon.

We are amazed at You, wonderful Creator, as we look at Your world. We praise you!

But natural explanations are not final answers. Clouds float because God in His wisdom has ordered the natural laws in such a way that they reveal the “wonders of him who has perfect knowledge” (Job 37:16). Clouds then can be thought of as a symbol—an outward and visible sign of God’s goodness and grace in creation.

So someday when you’re taking some time to see what images you can imagine in the clouds, remember this: The One who made all things beautiful makes the clouds float through the air. He does so to call us to wonder and adoration. The heavens—even the cumulus, stratus, and cirrus clouds—declare the glory of God.

Prayer: We are amazed at You, wonderful Creator, as we look at Your world. You deserve all the praise our hearts can give and so much more!

Creation is filled with signs that point to the Creator.

Insight:

“The heavens declare the glory of God” (Ps. 19:1). The word glory is often misunderstood. In Psalm 19:1, the Hebrew word for glory is kabod, meaning “weight, significance.” God’s eternal significance is seen in the fact that He brought a universe into existence! In the New Testament, the Greek term for glory is doxa, which speaks of honor, dignity, or praise. The God who created the universe and sent His Son for our rescue is to be praised because of who He is and because of all He has done.

As you observe God’s created world today, what evokes a spirit of worship and praise?

This message was written By David H. Roper [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: Blessings by the Bushel [Tuesday June 13, 2017]

And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you. – Mark 4:24

How many blessings are you going to receive from the Word of God? It depends on how many you expect to receive. When God measures them out to you, He’ll be using your measuring stick, not His own. He always works that way.

Two people can hear God’s Word about healing, for example. One will measure it with faith. “Praise God, by His stripes I was healed!” he’ll say. “I believe that with all my heart, and I’m going to keep on believing it until I receive my healing.”

The other will measure it with skepticism. “I don’t care what Bible verses he comes up with,” he’ll say. “I just don’t trust that preacher. I’ll give this healing stuff a try, but I doubt very much if anything’s going to come of it.”

Both of those people will get exactly what they expect. God will measure to them just as they measured the Word. One will get healed…the other won’t.

I must warn you though, sometimes measuring the Word with faith is hard. Years ago, when Gloria first read the scripture, “Owe no man anything,” it was tempting for her to measure it as a curse, not a blessing. We were living in a terrible little house at the time, and she wanted a new one more than just about anything.

How were we ever going to buy a decent house without borrowing? It didn’t seem possible. So, to her, it was as if that scripture had said, “Gloria, you can’t have a new house.”

But she refused to measure it that way. She grabbed the devil by the throat and said, “Look here now, you’re not going to cheat me out of my house.” Then she started believing that somehow God could provide her with a house debt free. Sure enough, He did.

If you want to receive blessings by the bushel load, start going to the Word with a bushel basket. Put a big measure of faith in the hand of God. He’ll fill it to overflowing and give it right back to you!

Scripture Reading: Luke 8:1-18

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: Effortless Fruit [Tuesday June 13, 2017]

John 7:38 “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

John 7:37-41

These rivers of living water are referring to the Holy Spirit and the effects He produces in the life of the believer. Galatians 5:22-23 says, “the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” These qualities should flow out of us as an artesian well. They should not have to be pumped. They will flow as we conform our thinking to God’s Word.

Jesus speaks of bearing fruit in John 15 and declares that “. . . without me ye can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). This fruit is the product of the Holy Spirit, not our effort. However, since “he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit” (1 Cor. 6:17), then this fruit of the Spirit is also what our born- again spirit produces. Our spirit always has these attributes regardless of what we feel in our emotions. Failure to understand this has caused many Christians to think they would be hypocrites to express joy when the truth is, they are depressed. However, it’s only our soulish part that gets depressed. Our spirit is always bearing the fruit of “love, joy, peace, etc.”

For a person who is seeking to walk in the Spirit, it is actually hypocritical to let our soulish emotions dominate our spiritual emotions. The truth is, our spirit is never depressed, just our soul. Those who understand this have the choice of letting their soul depress them or letting the Holy Spirit, through their born-again spirit, release the joy and peace spoken of here.

The “fruit” is not produced by the believer, but by the Holy Spirit, as we live in union with Him. Our part is to yield and trust; God’s part is to produce the fruit.

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 “How-To” Of Discipline [Tuesday June 13, 2017]

Text: 2 Corinthians 2:1-11

Key Verse: “So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow” (2 Corinthians 2:7).

A. W. Tozer, in ‘Men Who Met God’, wrote: “We must face the fact that many today are notoriously careless in their living. This attitude finds its way into the church. We have liberty, we have money, we live in comparative luxury. As a result, discipline practically has disappeared. What would a violin solo sound like if the strings on the musician’s instrument were all hanging loose, not stretched tight, not “disciplined”? From our text, we see Paul the Apostle asking the Corinthian church to forgive and restore the man earlier placed on discipline for incest with his father’s wife.

A lot must have happened between the time of the first epistle and this second one that warranted the change of attitude. Paul emphasised the need to restore those under church discipline as soon as they realise their faults, obtain forgiveness from God and have a complete change of attitude with the restoration of grace, lest they become too sorrowful. There are two extremes when considering the subject of church discipline. One is to not put erring member on discipline at all in the name of preaching the love of God; this will incur the displeasure of God and bring about a reproach on the church. God will be obliged to punish both the offender and those who failed to call him to order.

The other extreme is to impose severe discipline that is not commensurate to the offence committed and not calling off the discipline even when the offender had apparently repented and made his or her ways right. As leaders and brethren in the church of God, we must always remember that the reason for church discipline is to correct and bring the erring member back to fellowship with Christ. Discipline should be done in love and concern for the spiritual welfare of the member in question.

Thought for the day: Disciplining with grace makes for balanced discipleship.

Bible Reading in one Year: Job 19-21

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: Controlling Your Passion [Tuesday June 13, 2017]

Scripture: And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hear it, he will kill me… 1 Samuel 16:2.

Thought For The Day: Until you are able to control your emotion, you cannot control your motion.

It has been established one of the reasons many people lose out in destiny is the inability to control their passion.

A typical example of this was King Saul. When God told Samuel to anoint someone from the family of Jesse as king, Samuel was afraid and told God that if Saul heard it, he would kill him. This was because King Saul was a man of uncontrollable temperament. Saul was a man who could kill a prophet out of anger; this was why he lost his destiny.

Beloved, until you have control over your passion, you lose control of your destiny; until you can control your emotion, you cannot control your motion; until you take charge of your flesh, you cannot take charge of your destiny.

It is sad to note that there are many people who are under the control of the flesh. There are people who are always under pressure to quarrel. This is a pathway of losing out in destiny.

My counsel is, make up your mind to put your passion under control in order to maximise your destiny.

Remember this: Until you are able to control your emotion, you cannot control your motion.

Assignment(s):

1. Never allow the flesh to take the driver’s seat of your life and destiny’
2. Deny every manifestation of the flesh in your life.
3. Receive grace to be controlled by the Spirit of God.

Prayer: O LORD, I ask for the grace to put my flesh under control. Help me to forgive everyone that has offended me, LORD, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: MAXIMIZING YOUR LIFE.

Daily Reading: 1 Kings 11:1 to 12:19, Acts 9:1 to 25, Psalm 131:1 to 3, Proverbs 17:4 to 5

Quote: God cannot do anything serious with someone whose character is out of order. Culled from 30 SECRETS TO THE TOP by Dr Paul Enenche.

Amazing Fact: Blue whales can live up to 90 years in the wild.

Today In History: 13/06/1793 – William Carey, pioneer Baptist missionary who was referred to as “the father of the modern missionary movement”, sailed for India.

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: Believe in the Holy Spirit [Tuesday June 13, 2017]

. . . I [have] raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee . . . — Romans 9:17

Walter Knight tells the story about a little boy who had recently received Christ. “Daddy, how can I believe in the Holy Spirit when I have never seen Him?” asked Jim. “I’ll show you how,” said his father, who was an electrician. Later Jim went with his father to the power plant where he was shown the generators. “This is where the power comes from to heat our stove and to give us light. We cannot see the power, but it is in that machine and in the power lines,” said the father. “I believe in electricity,” said Jim. “Of course you do,” said his father, “but you don’t believe in it because you see it. You believe in it because you see what it can do. Likewise, you can believe in the Holy Spirit because you can see what He does in people’s lives when they are surrendered to Christ and possess His power.”

Prayer for the day: Make my heart completely devoid of self so that it can be filled with Your Spirit, Lord.

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: When You Move, Mountains Are Removed! [Monday June 12, 2017]

The fact that you have set goals for yourself in the year 2012 and have even made plans towards the achievement of those goals does not cancel the possibilities of encountering oppositions on your way. Apostle Paul said, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor 16:9). Every door that God opens to you will naturally attract adversaries. It is your action or inaction that determines whether you will enter to possess your possessions or not.

When the Israelites were face to face with the Red Sea, God said to Moses, “Tell my people to go forward,” and as they began to move forward, the sea saw them and fled (Psalm 114:3). The devil is a coward, the only thing he is waiting for is your action. He is not afraid of your vision or your plans, he is only bothered when you begin to take steps. That is why his greatest success against most believers is fear of the unknown. He tells them, “Hey, don’t move! If you invest now, you will lose all your money! What if you take that step and it doesn’t work?” So, they become rooted to the spot, wishing and hoping that something would happen some day.

When the prodigal son said, “I will arise and go to my father”, satan knew he was serious so he cleared off the way and the young man arose and came to his father. The most amazing thing about that story is that, as the son began to take steps, the Bible says, his father saw him afar off and also arose from home. So, they met on the way and the young man was restored to dignity (Luke 15:17-20). When you begin to take steps your blessings begin to move closer to you.