FIRST FRUIT (Part 2).

TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 26:1-4

When you obey God in first fruit it is not like giving offering though it is a form of offering. You give offering but you pay tithes and first fruit because they are not your own. They are like tax. When you obey in tax you are paying what you owe the government, it is not a donation. When a man obeys God and pays his first fruit, he activates certain blessings to be released over his life. As he comes before the man of God he is acknowledging that it is the favour of God that made the job or business possible. When the pastor brings it before the Lord and prays there is another blessing that follows the man. It entitles the man to be eligible for other favours. Romans 11:16 makes us to see that obedience to God on the first fruit will secure the rest or other part of the blessing that follows. And remember that God is to get the first and not even the second. If you put him first, then all others will be under His divine covering. It may be tough the first time you try this but soon you will come to see the benefit and awesome blessings that goes with it and then you won’t have to fear or worry. There are blessings you cannot walk into until you walk in total obedience to God. For some years now we have been beneficiaries of the uncommon blessing that comes from obeying God in first fruit. If you are disciplined and you allow God to lead you to plan to obey in the release of your first fruit you will begin to see the uncommon blessing that goes with it. God has more in store for you than you can ever imagine. Go for it; go for God and you will live to testify. Daily Devotional by Rev. Igho Y; the Glorious Fountain Ministries.  

THE BIG BOY MENTALITY.

 TEXT: Mark 10:15

Sometimes it seems strange to some to show a strong desperation for God especially in the presence of others. They believe they have grown spiritually and should be able to handle every situation and as such nobody should know they are losing it. But they are very wrong because even Jesus who always had everything under control wept (John 11:35).

CONTEMPLATION

When people come before the Lord with a preconceived idea and philosophy of acceptable conduct in worship they give little or no room for the Holy Spirit to do what He intends to do in their lives. If you are too conscious of your class and standing among men it will become a problem for you to sincerely bow in worship to the Lord. Many do not want to be labelled a fanatic so they shut their hearts to the leading of the Holy Spirit. As the Lord spoke with his disciples he made them understand that we can only access the Kingdom when we become like a child (Mark 10:15). Has it been a problem for you to sing, clap and dance in public worship? Do you feel embarrassed to kneel down or prostrate before God? If you do not know how to honour and reverence Him in public you may not know how much harm you have done to yourself.

 “ Before we got that title or position, we were sincere worshipers.

But not long after we were blessed with this lifting

we assumed the Big Boys status. This is what somebody called

“the deacon posture.” Have you observed that most deacons

and church elders assume a particular posture in church that

seems to confine them to a very formal role in worship? This

is also applicable to many pastors.” FFPW pg. 125.

Do not cut short your glory and honour, remember God is the reason why you worship.

PRACTICAL ISSUES

The greatest privilege any mortal can have is for the Almighty to call you “son”, do not trade it for anything.

If you are truly His, your spirit will easily cry out after God (See Romans 8:15), if this is not happening, it is possible you do not know Him or it may be you are backsliding. Do something about it. Daily Devotional by Rev.Igho.Y; the Glorious Fountain Ministries.

THE GIFT OF TIME

 TEXT: Eccl. 3:1-11

I have often heard people say “Time is not our friend” but I beg to differ because our scripture says “to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose” if there is time to every purpose then there is a certainty that some things have been assigned to happen for our own good. And because there is a set time for you to find favour then time is your friend. It is so committed to bring to pass your moment of glory, but you too must be committed to keep that appointment with time. This is why the word of God says “time and chance happens to them all”. So what you do with the gift of time will determine whether you will celebrate or weep. If you know how to put to use time as designed by the creator, you will come to see that He makes all things beautiful in its time (See Eccl 3:11). When it is your time and you are positioned for it, He will make all things beautiful and people will say it is your time. Everyone has his time but not everyone knows his time. The B part of verse 11 says God has planted this divine agenda in our hearts but many are unable to understand it because they are far from their creator. It is only the Lord who can help you understand purpose and time. Without divine assistance you will waste precious time chasing shadows. Time is a gift; do not let it pass you by. Maximize the moment and your glory will come to full manifestation. Daily Devotional by Rev.Igho.Y; the Glorious Fountain Ministries. 

WHEN YOUR HEART CRYS OUT FOR GOD

TEXT: Psalm 63:1-9

“The rest of our lives unto eternity will never be enough to

show Him how much we love Him. So don’t let one more hour

go by without expressing your love to Him. Let your worship

rise to Him as a sweet fragrance of love, for He is worthy of our

worship.” FFPW pg. 128.                     

CONTEMPLATION

Often than not we worship by just going through the routine. We say words we are not fully committed to. When most of us pray over our meal it is just another religious obligation and sometimes we cannot even remember what we said. The kind of prayer that changes circumstances and situations are often very sincere, heartfelt, and soul stirring. They may not have all the flowery words, heavy vocabulary and poetic rhymes but they produce the desired result. 

“If the shedding of tears

does truly convey the deep-seated feelings of our heart, then

there will be times when the expression of our tears should

count as worship. More often than not, tears are indicative of

an emotional relationship between one person and another.” FFPW pg.129

PRACTICAL ISSUES

It is possible for someone to seat in a worship experience without saying a word but the tear drop from his eyes will reveal that so much is happening on the inside much more than words could express. So, do not be quick to judge.

The man who has often felt the precious, loving and gentile embrace of the Lord is expected to be more tender and sensitive from the heart. They are different from others. Daily devotional by Rev. Igho. Y; the Glorious Fountain Ministries. 

YOUR FUTURE IS BLESSED.

TEXT: Col 1:26-27.

The present economic downturn all over the world seems to make the future of many bleak with little or no hope in sight. It is so bad that most of the Western nations that were once considered the Promised Land are now dealing with hash economic realities. Government and systems are failing and the world is confused and uncertain about the future, but the word we read today assures us that there is hope. This hope is only in Christ, for when we have Christ in us there is the hope of glory. If you take Christ out of the way there is no hope. The Western world took Christ out of their society and government and so they took hope for a glorious future out of their way. If you want to have the hope of glory then make sure that Christ is in you and you in Him. If you have not made Jesus the Lord of your life you do not have the hope of glory. If there is no room for Jesus in your business there is no hope of glory. If He is not allowed to be a prominent part of your job there is no assurance of glory. If He is not in your vision and pursuit, there is no hope of glory. When you let Him be your glory He will also become the lifter up of your head and when others are saying times are hard you will be saying the Lord is good. If you will bless the Lord with your life your future will be blessed. The hymn writer says “because He lives, I can face tomorrow”. Jesus is the only guarantee for the future, hold on to Him and your future will be blessed. Daily Devotional by Rev.Igho L.Y; the Glorious Fountain Ministries.     

GRATITUDE (PART 5).

TEXT: PSALM 78:40-43, 53-56.

Most of the time, it can be so easy to see how ungrateful we are by just looking at the focus of our prayers and religious commitments. Most of ours prayer are more of the give me, I want, I need, and the likes. It is only a display of our ingratitude and spiritual shallowness when we pray and say “If you do not do it I will not serve you”. We say that as if we are doing God a great favor by serving Him. If you know the price people pay for serving idols and all kinds of things, you will appreciate the price our Lord Jesus paid for us to be able to serve God. We are not even worthy to serve Him but He by His sacrificial death on the cross made us worthy.

 When our worship and passion are tied to the provision of our needs, then it is obvious that we have not known Him (Phil. 3:10). The reason why the worship time of adoration and intimacy suffers little patronage and that of prayer request enjoys a great participation is because we are so ungrateful. Miracles, signs and wonders by themselves will not help anyone deepen their walk with God, if it does, then the children of Israel, who Moses led out of Egypt would have been the most spiritual individuals in all of history. Your ability to express gratitude to God when it seems nothing much is happening is a sign of the depth of your walk with Him. People who are like this often end up with unusual blessings. Be grateful. Daily Devotional by Rev.Igho L.Y; the Glorious Fountain Ministries. 

GRATITUDE (PART 5).

TEXT: PSALM 78:40-43, 53-56.

Most of the time, it can be so easy to see how ungrateful we are by just looking at the focus of our prayers and religious commitments. Most of ours prayer are more of the give me, I want, I need, and the likes. It is only a display of our ingratitude and spiritual shallowness when we pray and say “If you do not do it I will not serve you”. We say that as if we are doing God a great favor by serving Him. If you know the price people pay for serving idols and all kinds of things, you will appreciate the price our Lord Jesus paid for us to be able to serve God. We are not even worthy to serve Him but He by His sacrificial death on the cross made us worthy.

 When our worship and passion are tied to the provision of our needs, then it is obvious that we have not known Him (Phil. 3:10). The reason why the worship time of adoration and intimacy suffers little patronage and that of prayer request enjoys a great participation is because we are so ungrateful. Miracles, signs and wonders by themselves will not help anyone deepen their walk with God, if it does, then the children of Israel, who Moses led out of Egypt would have been the most spiritual individuals in all of history. Your ability to express gratitude to God when it seems nothing much is happening is a sign of the depth of your walk with Him. People who are like this often end up with unusual blessings. Be grateful. Daily Devotional by Rev.Igho L.Y; the Glorious Fountain Ministries.