THE HEART OF SERVICE (PART 3)

 FRIDAY SEPTEMBER  4^TH.

TEXT: Philippians 4:4-8King James Version (KJV)

4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

There is a lot more to life than what your eyes can see and what your ear can hear. We are admonished in Phil. 4:8 to fix our minds on things that are pure. Refuse to fix your mind on what will not help you, lift your eyes off mundane things and fix them on Jesus.

One of the reasons we find this hard to do, is the fact that we are self-centered. We become offended with God for blessing others and we begin to envy them and even become angry with them. But if you truly have the mind of Christ you will remember that the Bible tells us to rejoice with them who rejoice. Do not get offended because God is lifting others, instead, begin to rejoice in expectation of your turn. You are next in line for a great lifting.

If you find yourself getting jealous because somebody is being blessed, you are being influenced by a wrong spirit, pray it out of your heart. You must understand that each of us do not have the same destiny. Everyone has their own moment of glory and manifestation. There is time for everything, if your time has not come, be patient. If God chooses to bless those under you with something that you do not have, it does not make you less important. Stay where God has destined you to blossom, remember, godliness with contentment is great gain. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and in due season He will exalt you.

THE HEART OF SERVICE (PART 2).

 THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 3^RD.

TEXT: Philippians 4:4-8King James Version (KJV)

4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.


5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.


6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known unto God.


7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.


8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

We are living in a time when people are said to be zealous in the service of God due to the benefits they enjoy and the glamour in a place. With this set of people their heart is very far from their service. They are the once who are moved by sight and so they are often men pleasers because of the favour they seek.

There are persons whose commitment to God is tied to what is happening in their lives. If all is well with them, they will be shouting “God is good”, but immediately things are not going the way they expect they will act to show that God is not just. If your faith is hinged on circumstances and situations, then it is very small. The book of Prov. says if you faint in the day of adversity your strength is small. Until the elementary principles in the Bible are influencing and manifesting in your life, you are still a babe in Christ. Being a babe in Christ is not determined by how long you have been a Christian. Maturity is determined by the depth of your submissiveness to God and how much of self has died in you. If you have been in church for donkey years but yet there is still the easy manifestation of your flesh, beloved, do not be quick to say you are mature. As long as we have people who are immature in their attitudes and disposition in life in the church, we will continually have problems. Where do you really belong?

THE HEART OF SERVICE (PART 1)

 WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER. 2^ND.

TEXT: Philippians 4:4-8 King James Version (KJV)

4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Whenever you are involved in service and the motive of your heart shifts from thanksgiving to complain you have forgotten where the Lord took you from. One of the reasons we cannot walk in thanksgiving is because we are too self-centered. Gratitude is an attitude that provokes a lot of joy no matter what the situation is. But when you praise God just because of what He has done, this is an indication that you are still at the elementary level of Christianity. When you are able to praise Him in spite of your situation and whether your needs have been met or not, then you are maturing in the faith.

Some of us will put up a quarrel with God because we did not receive what we have been expecting. Such persons often manifest a depleted zeal for God. Suddenly prayer will be considered a drudgery (a boring task) and lacking the fire and presence of God. 

If you are going through unpleasant situations and that is strong enough to cut short or off, your zeal for the Lord, your faith is already failing. The man who is content with whatever God gives him will continually live in peace. This man has learnt to be content no matter what and he is unperturbed by what is happening around him. He knows very well that all thing are working for his good because God is in charge. To him God’s faithful is more than an answers to his prayers, he sees God to be faithful, no matter what happens.

ACTIVATE THE GLORY WITHIN (PART 2)

    TUESDAY SEPTEMBER  1^ST.

TEXT: Job 32:7-9King James Version (KJV)

7 I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.

8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

9 Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment.

There may be those born with silver spoon in their mouth but not all of them remain relevant. Until a child gain the understanding required to reign in the place of greatness the wealth of the father will soon become history. But it is amazing that most of the world great men and women were not born with a silver spoon in their mouth. They worked their way up the ladder activating the glory within that heaven destined for them to manifest to their generation.

Do something about the grace and glory of God on your inside, do not let it die. People may not have considered you as someone who has something to offer to your family not to talk about your generation, but know that there are people like you who were told they will amount to nothing, but today they have become the world’s celebrated. You will get there in the name of Jesus.

Speak to the greatness on your inside, call it forth and the power of God will set you free from whatever has been holding you back. If you have been afraid about your future, God is saying to you right now, my plans for you are good and not evil, plans to bring you to your expected end. Only let His hand rest upon you, you will be amazed the glory that will come forth out of your life. The hand of God will make the difference in your life and whatever is contending with your destiny, God Almighty will contend with it in Jesus name. I decree that your godly heritage will begin to manifest in Jesus name. From this day, the hand of God will begin to distinguish you in your generation in Jesus name. Amen. 

ACTIVATE THE GLORY WITHIN (PART 1)

 MONDAY AUGUST. 31^ST.

TEXT: Job 32:7-9King James Version (KJV)

7 I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.

8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

9 Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment.

There is something great on your inside which heaven deposited in you and your generation is waiting to see it manifest. Do not die a cheap copy, be the original that God has destined you to be, because there is something exceptional about you. There is no end to creativity and there is no substitute for the genuine grace and ability given to you by God.

 There is a user of this devotional who really needs to know that God wants you to be the very best He created you to be. You do not have to go with the crowd or become somebody else, be who God destined you to be. There are unusual potentials in you that are yet to be tapped, do something about your destiny. Do not let any man or system corrupt it or keep you back. You are made to be cerebrated by your generation no matter what people may think about you.

I decree to somebody desperate for God’s intervention, from this day, as you pursue God’s divine purpose for your life, you will begin to rise till you become great in your generation. The hand of God shall become very visible upon your life.  Begin to make the impact that heaven destined you to make in Jesus name. Amen.  

DEEPER FELLOWSHIP (PART 3)

TEXT: Romans 8:5-8 King James Version (KJV)

⁵ For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

⁶ For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

⁸ So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Before anyone becomes born again, that life was spiritually dead to the leading of God’s Spirit. When you got born again, the part of you that has been dead suddenly came to life. Before you met the Lord, your spirit man was dead. Eph. 2:1-2 reveals to us that only the soul that has been quickened by the Spirit of God has the capacity to fellowship with God. Before that quickening it was normal to walk habitually in sin which leads to death.

If we know just how much sin affects us, we won’t have any reason to toy with it. The sin nature in man takes him away from God. But there is a nature that draws him to and makes him stay with God, this is the redeemed nature. You cannot get close to God by following a pattern.

Jesus said to Nicodemus that no man can see or enter into the kingdom of God except he is born again and born of the Spirit. Except there is a deep communion with God that transforms your being, you cannot access the realm, you will be locked out. So, what should you then do? You have to get away from being religious and have just one pursuit; go after God for a love relationship. Whatever you do that is devoid of a personal and intimate love for God according to the scripture is religion. It takes a man who is truly hungry for the new birth experience to experience it. If you want to walk in the spirit you can. I encourage you to go after God with everything that you have, stop trying to be religious. Too many of us have left the reason why we came seeking for God and we are now settling down for mundane things. Get back to your first love for Jesus.

A DEEPER FELLOWSHIP (PART 2).

A DEEPER FELLOWSHIP (PART 2).  

TEXT: Romans 8:5-8King James Version (KJV)

⁵ For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

⁶ For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

⁸ So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Any man who truly desire to grow and mature spiritually must see himself as God says in His word and must continually seek to become like Christ. Jesus said, “he that is born of the flesh is flesh and he that is born of the Spirit is spirit. The scripture says the first Adam was a carnal man but the second a life giving spirit; Jesus Christ is the second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45). The first Adam was a living soul but it was intended that by virtue of his fellowship with God, he would grow in his spirit man until his spirit man is saturated with the Spirit of God to dominate his soul man. The soulish man makes decision by reason of his intellect but the spirit man is led, inspired and moved to make decisions as a result of a knowing by the Spirit of God. This depends on the degree of sensitivity each child of God has.

 The spiritual man is able to connect with his Source, and does not need to go through any intermediary to draw inspiration and empowerment. Someone led by the spirit, may not have titles or position, but has authority and recognition in the realm of the Spirit.

The Scripture also says, those who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God (Romans 8:14). The prerequisite for sonship is being led by the Spirit of God, if you are not led by Him, you are not a son. Your title or position does not make you a son. As a son, you have a love relationship with God, and this makes it easy to connect with Him in a fellowship that is real and personal.

A DEEPER FELLOWSHIP (PART 1).

A DEEPER FELLOWSHIP (PART 1). AUG. 22^ND.     

TEXT: Romans 8:5-8King James Version (KJV)

⁵ For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

⁶ For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

⁸ So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Anyone who is in an intimate fellowship with God never really walks away from that fellowship at the end of a meeting with other believers. Our fellowship with other believers is expected to help fan our passion and equip us for a deeper personal walk with God. When everyone is gone your ability to continue your fellowship with the Lord is a true test of the Christianity you claim to have.

 If we would always live in constant reality of our fellowship with the Holy Spirit, we would not walk out of His presence into all kinds of nonsense. Many of the times that we fail to do the bidding of the Spirit it is because we are so focused on our own fleshy desire. There is the spiritual dimension of our fellowship and this is the greatest dimension of fellowship, greater than our fellowship with the brethren. If you do not know this dimension of fellowship, you cannot have a successful walk with God. Rom. 8:7-8 says the carnal mind is enmity with God, to walk in the spirit you have to be in the spirit.

Jesus talking to Nicodemus said except one is born of the Spirit he cannot have fellowship with the Spirit (John 3:5-6). The spirit man is concerned with what you are made up of on the inside. You cannot predict what the spirit man will do next because he is not in control of his life. Jesus said the wind blows where it lists and that just as no one can tell where it is going or coming from, so is everyone born of the Spirit. When we walk by the Spirit we do not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Walk by the Spirit and see the glory of God

CELEBRATING GRACE RELEASES GLORY (PART 5).

 AUGUST  20^TH.   

TEXT: 2 Kings 2:9-12King James Version (KJV)

9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

For a true servant and worshipper of God, what he needs to accomplish his assignment may be hard but due to his track record he is likely to get what he wants granted by heaven. Elijah told Elisha that his request was hard but if he saw him when he was being taken up his request would be granted. In order words, if you would stay focused and continually serving, even though others do not consider you good enough, the Lord will equip you with all that you need to succeed and also attract their respect. When Elijah called Elisha he did not say a word to him, he just threw his mantle on him and kept on his way. Elisha immediately broke off from what he was doing and followed Elijah. Some people are afraid to start a new phase of life because they would need to pack up what they are currently doing to follow God. Some of us will need to take a bold step and start all over again if we want to see greater dimensions of glory. Swallow your pride, take that step to serve faithfully and when your time comes the grace of God will be released upon your life.

Elisha followed Elijah because he recognized that he needed the grace Elijah carried for him to fulfill his destiny. There is somebody who carries the grace you need to succeed and that is where the Lord wants you to submit yourself to a sincere service so you can receive the grace available to excel. If you can locate it and come under that person or place, something will begin to shift in your life that will cause a supernatural turn around. Waste no time to obey. 

CELEBRATING GRACE RELEASES GLORY (PART 6).

 AUGUST  21^ST.    

TEXT(S): 2 Kings 2:1-6, 9-14.King James Version (KJV)

2 And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.

3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.

5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.

9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;

14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

There are dimensions of blessings that cannot go with disobedience, with such your life must be in conformity with certain divine principles, there is no way you can be released into a higher realm until you obey God first. God is ready to pour out His spirit like never before, but this would not happen until the vessels he wants to use are positioned in the right state where the anointing can be released. Elisha served Elijah with such high degree of commitment that when it was time for him to be rewarded he was able to attract a double portion of the grace upon Elijah.

The anointing will flow into your life when you are in the right place and have the right relationship/mentor. Some of us have messed up the relationship with our mentors and we need to go apologize so things can work in our favour again. No matter how hard you labour, there are things that can only be provoked upon your life by favour. You may be concerned that if you go back to apologize, you may be looked down on and your apology may be rejected, do not consider that, just do what God has asked you to do. With your obedience will come glory. By God’s grace you will step into such glory as you have never known or seen. That is when doors will begin to open to you mysteriously.

 In your determination to obey God some persons who may have been as aggrieved as you were would want to discourage you, please leave them in their foolishness and obey the word of God. When you do this, do it whole heartedly; forget about your flesh and what others would say. When the blessings begin to manifest in your life they will see the wisdom in your decision.  If you are passionate and hungry for God there is no price too great to pay. Go for the glory. It is well with you in Jesus name.

CELEBRATING GRACE RELEASES GLORY (PART 4)

AUGUST 19^TH.   

TEXT: 2 Kings 3:11King James Version (KJV)
11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.

When a leader achieves certain degree of success, there are people who would want to connect to him, and if care is not taken, his basking on that glory may prevent him from moving on. The Elisha generation are the ones who are quick to help a leader wrap up his present dimension of operation, and run ahead to spread the carpet for his feet. These are people who spend time praying concerning the next move of God, they could be people in different standing and positions least expected but they know why they are connected to grace. Like we said in our previous lesson about Elisha, they help a leader wash his hands clean as they complete one assignment and prepare him for the next one. And because they know what it takes to help him, they know the degree of water needed for the leader to wash well and go on to the next assignment. Since they have known and gotten to understand, the gravity of the challenges that goes with the work, when it is time for Elijah (the leader) to be taken up, they know what to ask for. They know the trouble Elijah had gone through, and if they are going to step into that position, they know they need a double portion of his anointing and heaven is likely to grant them their heart desire. In the first place, they do not have Elijah’s experience, and secondly, they know the enormity of the work, so, it becomes necessary for them to have a double portion. Are you qualified for that which you desire? Think about this.

CELEBRATING GRACE RELEASES GLORY (PART 3)

 AUGUST 18^TH.   

TEXT: 2 Kings 3:11King James Version (KJV)

11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.

When you consider the life of the prophet Elisha and how he operated under such great anointing it is easy to just covet what he had, but do you know that before he came to this stage he humbled himself to serve under Elijah? What most people are quick to speak about is the fact that Elisha had a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, but they do not take time to find out what Elisha did to qualify him for that double portion.

In today’s scripture, Elisha was introduced as a servant, who served Elijah, this is not a flattery introduction. Some of us want to be introduced as very important and we will even take offence if we are introduced as being under anybody. Too many persons want to claim they made it on their own but God is looking for the Elisha’s generation; this is the generation that knows how to serve their way into the glory of God. Many of us want a double portion of the spirit of God but are not ready to go through the trials, trouble or sacrifices that goes with it. The Elisha generation is the generation that knows how to pour water on the hands of Elijah. This is not to make anyone a slave, as there are a lot of ministers who have abused this privilege for their own selfish interest. The pouring of water on the hands of someone obviously speaks of an action to help wash the hands. The truth is that you only have need to wash your hands when you are through with one assignment so you can be prepared for another. Therefore, it was the duty of Elisha to get the Elijah prepare them for the next assignment and whoever is prompt in doing so certainly appreciates the grace upon the one they serve and acknowledges the enormity of the task ahead. That could be the reason he asked for a double portion to help him accomplish the task quicker.  Where do you draw grace from?

CELEBRATING GRACE RELEASES GLORY (PART 2).

 AUGUST. 17^TH.   

TEXT: Matthew 13:54-58King James Version (KJV)

54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

True greatness is not in the position you occupy nor is it in the things you have acquired. There are some who have missed the opportunity for greater blessings because they think that by their position in life or by their material possession they have arrived. With such mentality they find it difficult to submit themselves under anyone. If you suddenly begin to think that those who play the role of a father or mentor in your life are no longer necessary, that is a clear sign that you are walking in pride and ignorance. Wise people will always stay humble no matter the degree of greatness they have attained. Such persons are wise to see the wisdom in the unreasonable instruction from their father figure or mentors.

No matter who you are, your mentors should be able to talk to you the way they need to, so that you can be who you really need to be. This takes you being under subjection in humility and God has promised grace for the humble. If you enjoy to always be under someone who will pamper you, you will never become who God destined you to be. You need someone to tell you the truth to your face, you need someone who when he speaks to you, stirs you up on the inside. There are various dimensions of glory that will unfold in your life as you submit to the leading of God through your mentors. Most times, this will involve submitting to different persons that God will place over your life at various times. Do not frustrate the grace of God upon your life by thinking you know what to do. Be wise and humble yourself so you can attract true blessings. 

NEARER, MY GOD, TO THEE

 AUGUST 16^TH.   

Memory Verse: Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. (James 4:8 KJV)

TEXT: Genesis 28:10-22; Psalm 16:7, 8; 73:28; 145:18; Jeremiah 29:13; Acts 17:27

This well-loved hymn was written by a talented and charming English woman no lived only 43 years. In spite of her delicate health, Sarah Flower Adams had an active and productive life. After a successful career on the London stage as Sheakespeare's Lady MacBeth, she began to write and became widely known for her literary accomplishments. The cross mentioned in the first stanza of her hymn text may have been the physical handicaps that limited her many ambitions. Sarah's sister Eliza was gifted musically and often composed melodies for her sister's poems. Together they contributed 13 texts and 62 new tunes for a hymnal that was being compiled by their pastor. One day the Rev. William J. Fox asked a new hymn to accompany his sermon on the story of Jacob and Esau. Sarah spent much time studying Genesis 28:10-22 and within a short time completed all of the stanzas of "Nearer, My God, to Thee." Since that day in 1840, this hymn has had an unusual history of ministering spiritual comfort to hurting people everywhere.

These lines picturing Jacob sleeping on a stone, dreaming of angels, and naming the place Bethel, meaning" the house of God," seem to reflect the common yearning-especially in times of deep need-to experience God's nearness and presence in a very real way. 

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee! E'en tho it be a cross that raiseth me; still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

Tho like the wanderer, the sun gone down, darkness be over me, my rest a stone, yet in my dreams I'd be nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

Then with my waking thoughts, bright with Thy praise, out of my stony griefs.

Bethel I raise; so by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

Or if on joyful wing, cleaving the sky, sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I fly, till all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

KEY POINT: When I seek God, He has promised to draw very close to me. What a joyful experience to know His intimate presence throughout every hour of this day.

TAKEN FROM “AMAZING GRACE; 366 INSPIRING HYMN STORIES FOR DAILY DEVOTION”

CELEBRATING GRACE RELEASES GLORY (PART 1)

AUGUST. 15^TH.   

TEXT: Matthew 13:54-58King James Version (KJV)

54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

In life too many of us allow the spirit of envy and jealousy to cut off our opportunity to encounter a greater glory. Sometimes our ambition to be in a place of prominence has become our undoing. If you are too full of yourself you will begin to have problem accepting and celebrating the grace upon others. Some of us have looked down on certain persons who have the grace that will release us to our destinies, because we have become too familiar with them. Most of the time because you grew up together or attended the same school, some persons cannot stomach the fact that you have been favoured ahead of them. If they are working with you they are the ones who tend to rebel against your leadership. Those who do so even in church fail to realise that they were rebelling against the leading of God.

As long as you refuse to submit to a God ordained leadership, you will remain in that state and level of life; you may have great potentials but you are not going anywhere.

Don’t let your stupid pride destroy your chances of rising in life. Humble yourself and watch God position you for glory. 

STAY CONNECTED

August 14th, 2015

TEXT: Luke 15:11-19Amplified Bible (AMP)

11 And He said, There was a certain man who had two sons;

12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the part of the property that falls [to me]. And he divided the estate between them.

13 And not many days after that, the younger son gathered up all that he had and journeyed into a distant country, and there he wasted his fortune in reckless and loose [from restraint] living.

14 And when he had spent all he had, a [a]mighty famine came upon that country, and he began to fall behind and be in want.

15 So he went and forced (glued) himself upon one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed hogs.

16 And he would gladly have fed on and [b]filled his belly with the [c]carob pods that the hogs were eating, but [they could not satisfy his hunger and] nobody gave him anything [better].

17 Then when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father have enough food, and [even food] to spare, but I am perishing (dying) here of hunger!

18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.

19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; [just] make me like one of your hired servants.

There are too many who like the prodigal son think they know how to manage their lives only to end up living riotously. They need to come to their senses and tell themselves the truth, if nobody will.

The prodigal son rose up and said to himself; I will return to my father and say to him make me one of your servants. When he left home, he felt he was made and thought he was okay. But after he lost all he had, he came to his senses, and said to himself; “I will go back to my father and say to him , I am not worthy to be called your son, make me one of your hired servants. The problem of many, is that they fail to recognize the people who have certain graces they need. As long as you are functioning under the wrong atmosphere, your potentials will be locked in and will not find expression. If like the prodigal son, you have left someone who has the grace you need to fulfill your destiny, then, you too need to return and say “make me” to that person. You need to go and apologize to persons who should be your mentors who you walked away from rebelliously. This is for your own good, because as you do, you release your own destiny. Let God lead you 

YOU ARE SPECIAL

August 13th, 2015

TEXT: Ephesians 2:10Amplified Bible (AMP)

10 For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), [a]recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

Every one of us is destined to be great and to excel, God has a great plan for you and there is  a strong confirmation of this because He took time to put you together and make you unique. During creation, God Almighty spoke and things came to be, but when He wanted to create man, He stooped low and with His hands He took clay and formed man. He could have spoken and man would have come to being, but He wanted an intimate relationship with you. This tells you that there is something special about you, even though those around you may not see it, you are a classic master piece on display upon the face of the earth. But you don’t forget, the enemy is so good at messing up things, that is why he tries to corrupt your mind to turn you away from God’s purpose. The enemy can do this by introducing someone or something into your life, this just to take you from continuing on the path of glory. If you choose to stop and attend to it, in the process you will loose focus of God and lost your pace with Him. If you have lost rhythm with the Almighty you can go back to Him today, talk to Him and things will begin to change.

God created you special, don’t end up as a caricature. God bless you. 

DOING GREAT THINGS FOR GOD (PART 6)

       AUG. 12^TH.   

TEXT: 1 Chronicles 11:12-14King James Version (KJV)

12 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighties.

13 He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a parcel of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines.

14 And they set themselves in the midst of that parcel, and delivered it, and slew the Philistines; and the Lord saved them by a great deliverance.

Every true follower of Christ who is determined to do great things for God is so conscious about pleasing the Lord than in accomplishing selfish interest. Those who are like this need no man to motivate them to play their role. They know what their assignment is and the scope they have been assigned to cover. They know they have been assigned a spiritual territory and they must not fail. Such men are so committed to keeping their territory and stand strong even if they have to stand alone.  The mighty men of David were men who could stand alone and they were also able to stand with him and together they defended the land at all times.

 Do you know where you have been assigned to defend? You need to tell yourself the truth and find out if you know where your spiritual territory is and what ground you have been assigned to defend. Starting from your physical location to your family and other areas of your life, you have a territory to command authority over. Stand your ground and see to it that the kingdom looses no ground for any reason.

The enemy is launching attacks every now and then, but have you been able to stand your ground to defend the territory assigned to you? It takes the hand of God upon a man to grant him extraordinary victory. It is not skill nor years of experience but the hand of God upon a life that counts.  Put your trust in the Lord and you will receive the grace to attempt great things for God today.  

DOING GREAT THINGS FOR GOD (PART 5)

1     AUG. 11^TH.   

TEXT: 1 Chronicles 11:12-14King James Version (KJV)

12 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighties.

13 He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a parcel of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines.

14 And they set themselves in the midst of that parcel, and delivered it, and slew the Philistines; and the Lord saved them by a great deliverance.

Except your effort and service with any man truly amount to serving the purpose of God you may be wasting your time and your life for nothing. There are services we render to man that has nothing to do with promoting the cause of the kingdom of God. Such service are often rendered to take care of our personal needs and ambitions and they can be easily identified.  Whatever you do at all cost to serve the need of your stomach is strong enough to take you out of the purpose of heaven. Those who value food more than a divine assignment are likely to sell their birth right like Esau without realizing it. Whatever we do because we are afraid of losing our job or position are often far from serving the purpose of heaven. Such kind of person are never stable because they have their interest to protect. Therefore, their loyalty is whoever is on the seat of power and not the interest of heaven. They are like the politicians in Nigeria who quickly decamped from their political party when the opposition won the election. They have no serious commitment that can be depended on because they are only passionate about protecting their interest. When we are like that, such loyalty to the leader is often than not for ourselves and not for the kingdom.

When your motivation is not principally for the good of the kingdom, chances are that we will fall by the way side. You cannot attempt great things for God as long as your personal interest is your priority. 

DOING GREAT THINGS FOR GOD (PART 4)

 AUG. 10^TH.   

TEXT: 1 Chronicles 11:12-14King James Version (KJV)

12 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighties.

13 He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a parcel of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines.

14 And they set themselves in the midst of that parcel, and delivered it, and slew the Philistines; and the Lord saved them by a great deliverance.

Without doubt, David’s men were sincere and loyal to him, and this can be seen from their service to him. These guys were able to find their life in the assignment given to David by God so they sowed their life to it. When these men sowed their life to this assignment heaven reserved a special place for them in the history of mankind.

 A lot of people sow seeds just for the sake of sowing, but no amount of seed you sow, without first sowing your life to God, will be effective or good enough.

Except a life is sown as a seed to God it will lack the fruit of glory. First and foremost, your life must have been sown as a seed to God, because the Bible says, except a seed falls to the ground and dies it abides alone. Unless the outer shell is broken, your potentials cannot be ignited, and not much will happen through such lives.

 Do not waste your time for that which you would not get any eternal reward for, plant yourself in the service of God in the right place and at the right time. Do all you can to make sure that at the end of the day your effort will amount to something that heaven will count useful to the agenda of God. Let your life and effort be invested into that for which the Lord will say to you “Weldone”. Shalom!

HAVE THINE OWN WAY, LORD

        AUG. 9^TH.   

Memory Verse: Yet, O Lord, you are our Father, We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the works of Your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)

TEXT: Psalm 27:14; Romans 6:13, 14; 9:20, 21; Galatians 2:20

An elderly woman at a prayer meeting one night pleaded, "It really does matter what you do with us, Lord, just have your way with our lives." At this meeting was Adelaide Pollard, a rather well-known itinerant Bible teacher who was deeply discouraged because she had been unable to raise the necessary funds for a desired trip to Africa to do missionary service. She was moved by the older woman's sincere and dedicated request of God.

At home that evening Miss Pollard meditated on Jeremiah 18:3, 4:

Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels, and the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Before retiring that evening Adelaide Pollard completed the writing of all four stanzas of this hymn as it is sung today. The hymn first appeared in published form in 1907.

Often into our lives come discouragements and heartaches that we cannot understand. As children of God, however, we must learn never to question the ways of our sovereign God-but simply to say:

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Thou art the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Search me and try me, Master, today! Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now, as in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Wounded and weary, help me, I pray! Power, all power, surely is Thine! Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Hold o'er my being absolute sway! Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see Christ only, always, living in me!

PRAYER POINT: Breathe this ancient prayer: "I am willing Lord, to receive what Thou givest, to lack what Thou withholdest, to relinquish what Thou takest, to surrender what Thou claimest, to suffer what Thou ordainest, to do what Thou commandest, to wait until Thou sayest 'Go.

TAKEN FROM “AMAZING GRACE; 366 INSPIRING HYMN STORIES FOR DAILY DEVOTION”

DOING GREAT THINGS FOR GOD (PART 3)

      AUG. 8^TH.

TEXT: 1 Chronicles 11:12-14King James Version (KJV)

12 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighties.

13 He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a parcel of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines.

14 And they set themselves in the midst of that parcel, and delivered it, and slew the Philistines; and the Lord saved them by a great deliverance.

At one point or the other in life we are called to serve under somebody to help accomplish a given assignment to the glory of God. While at this point of service it is required that we give undivided commitment to the task on hand as this can define for us our place in the program of God for us in the future. David’s 3 mighty men became outstanding among others because they sowed their lives as a seed to him to accomplish a divine mandate and in the process they themselves became great. The truth is that the greatness and relevance of many in life is tied to the assignment of God upon some persons. When David’s men followed him there is no way they would have been able to comprehend that thousands of years after people will read about them, know their names and the exploits they did for God.

It is very possible that without following David these men may have been able to succeed in life but the truth is that the chances of them being heroes up till now would have been very slim. There were many great people in the time when these guys were with David but it was only those who identified with this kingdom agenda through the life of David that are still being celebrated today. Life is full of choices and only those who can perceive and value the purpose of God are good enough to share in the glory stored up for those who are willing to do great things for God.