Wednesday, 11 March 2015
JESUS PAID IT ALL
Tuesday, 30 December 2014
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL..
DATE : Wednesday 31 December 2014
THEME : IT PAYS TO LIVE HOLY II
Memorise:
For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of
fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst
of her.
Zechariah 2:5
Read: Job 1:8-10
1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou
considered my servant Job, that there is none like
him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man,
one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said,
Doth Job fear God for nought?
1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and
about his house, and about all that he hath on
every side? thou hast blessed the work of his
hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ACTS 27-28 and SONG OF
SOLOMON 8:8-14
Message
Everybody in this world wants to be secure.
Witchcraft is prospering because people feel
insecure and they are looking for security from
any available source. The unfortunate thing is
that, looking for security from the forces of
darkness is looking for security from the very
person who wants to destroy you. Those who are
living a holy life have the protection of the Lord
Almighty. This is because God has built a hedge
around them. In Job 1:9-10, the Bible tells us that
God had put a hedge around Job and his
household. God put a hedge around Job because
he served Him. Job got into the predicament that
befell him because God wanted to prove a point
to Satan. Around every holy child of God, there is
an unseen wall. Satan cannot pass through this
wall because it is made of fire. The Bible in
Zechariah 2:5 says,
“For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of
fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst
of her.”
Satan knows that he is going to end up in the
Lake of fire. He is therefore not very anxious to
taste this fire yet, so when he sees anybody who
is surrounded by this fire, he keeps his distance.
God has made so many promises to those that
are holy. Psalm 91 contains classical examples of
these promises. You cannot abide in the secret
place of the Most High without being holy.
Without being holy, God’s promises cannot be
yours. The fire of the Almighty God is so hot that
when it surrounds you, the fire of this world will
make way for you to pass. We have a good
example in Daniel 3:24-28, where Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego were put in the fiery
furnace. Their experience confirms what the
scripture says concerning the holy in Isaiah 43:2:
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be
with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not
overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire,
thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame
kindle upon thee.”
There is however one thing that can remove the
security covering from you. This is sin. Whenever
you sin, you create a barrier between you and
God. It is therefore dangerous to sin, not even for
once because you may not be able to recover
from the devastating effect of the ensuing satanic
attack in the course of your backsliding. I pray
that your fire will not go out in Jesus’ Name.
Prayer Point:
Father, whatever will take away your banner of
protection over my life, withhold me from such
from now on.
Thursday, 13 November 2014
STUBBORN BULLS AND GOATS...
By Pastor Great Emmanuel Donatus.
STUBBORN BULLS AND GOATS Just recently,I finished killing three (3)
very big,strong and stubborn
Chickens,all in 10 to 15 minutes (Dont
ask me what for..lol). I was all sweaty
and a bit tired afterwards coz those
guys have really grown and strong,they had muscles!..lol And mehn!, it
quickly brought to mind
the Levitical priesthood of Israel. And I
was like, 'Boy,is this how the Priests
killed numerous bulls and goats for the
many sins of Israel everyday?!' I could
imagine! Israel, a stubborn people, around 1.3 million people, so
rebellious. And then, for every of their
sin, there was always a goat to
slaughter, and a bull to kill! Think of it! A GOAT, A BULL! Nobody
likes to be compared to a goat! You
know those animals are naturally
stubborn, very strongwilled and
strongheaded! I tried to travel back in
time to view what it looked like. I killed 3 strong Chickens in a short
space of
time, and I was all sweaty. Imagine
killing bulls and goats every blessed
day for about 40 years! Even if not for
40years,close to it! Not for one, not for
two, not for three persons! They must have killed at least a thousand
everyday since there were about 1.3
million people travelling to Canaan at
that time. 1000 might even be an
understatement! Maybe I want to be
merciful on them. Those Priests must have built so much
muscles doing that everyday!..lol. No
matter how enjoyable the job wij look
at first, after sometime, it will surely
bore them! They might be planning to
take a rest after killing say 200 at a time, and as they are about to sit,
another set of maybe liars, thieves and
adulterers will just throng to the
entrance again. And work begins. Maybe they even made a roster for the
'Killing Time of Bulls and Goats'..Maybe
they say, 'For thieves,come from the
6th to the 9th hour of the day. For
adulterers, so you wont feel too
ashamed, come in the 3rd watch of the night'..lol. Many permutations!
And I just kept
thinking and broadening my
imaginations to see various
possibilities. But bottomline, IT MUST
HAVE BEEN STRESSFUL! That made me cherish the Sacrifice of
my Jesus much more! It was a Once-
And-For-All payment for my Sins. "And every priest stands ministering
daily and offering repeatedly the same
sacrifices, which can never take away
sins. But this Man, after He had offered one
sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at
the right hand of God, from that time
waiting till His enemies are made His
footstool. For by one offering He has perfected
forever those who are being
sanctified." (Hebrews 10:11-14). No need to come back in the afternoon
or evening coz it's not yet Killing Time. No stress of resharpening the
axe,
knife, cutlass of whatever was used to
kill the bulls and goats every time. No need of cleaning the instruments
of
killing everytime after use! No need of looking for where to get
more bulls and goats since the ones in
my flock have been exhaused due to
my many sins! No need for worry about scarcity or
fee-hike of bulls and goats.
ALL GONE! ALL GONE!! ALL GONE!!! BECAUSE
OF THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS! It was STRESSFUL yet it was NEEDFUL
It was PAINFUL yet it is GAINFUL
I was UNFAITHFUL but He is FAITHFUL
My bucket was SIN-FULL yet He is
MERCY-FULL
Because He is GRACEFUL, I will forever be GRATEFUL! WHAT AN
EXCHANGE!
Saturday, 8 November 2014
Excellent Chucka
He was very intelligent in the class, he
has won many awards, gifts and also a
scholarship.
He answers any question in the class.
The school cannot exist one day
without mentioning the name of chuka.
His own intelligence is versatile.
He is good in all the subject, if chuka
mistakenly graduates from secondary
school and university also, every
company will like to have him as a
staff, his brain was like that of a
computer.
But something happened, one day
chuka wanted to jump over a fence,
when he finally Jumped the fence, he
landed on a dangerous ground, and he
died instantly.
What a sad story to everyone that
chuka has died. He died with all his
intelligence, smartness, and all his
knowledge.
This is what I called unfulfilled
destiny.
A destiny that has been discovered but
the enemy succeeded and made it
unfulfilled.
Some of you reading this has a great
destiny in life but the enemy has been
standing against it.
Don't think that the present level you
are now in this life, is the level where
you suppose to be.
Child of God, I pray for you and i today that
We must fulfill our destiny, we will
never die without fulfilling our destiny
in jesus name!
Jesus is the only one who can secure your
destiny for you,
Accept Him today.
Wednesday, 22 October 2014
REMINDER!!!
Hello,i just want to remind you that God has special plans for you and God cares about you and your future,whatever challenge you see today cannot limit your tomorrow because your yesterday,today and tomorrow is in God's hand and God will never fail you because His word never fails,hold on to ever of His promises because they will never fail,it may seem to far or too big for you to imagine,just hold on to it and remember that God's ways are not your ways.Keep on allowing God to work upon your life and never loose hold of His presence because His presence is where your power,strength,security,success,prosperity,etc. lies.
KEEP SEEKING GOD AND REMAIM HEAVEN CONSCIOUS.
Tuesday, 7 October 2014
Are You Seeking Great Things For Yourself?
Are You Seeking Great Things
For Yourself?
By Jon W. Quinn
It may have been that he could have served
in some prestigious governmental position. His
brother was an officer in the king's court. He
was of a prominent family. With a little
ambition and drive, he could have really gone
places, as long as he would not allow anything
to stand in his way.
But, there was something standing in his
way. It was his duty and loyalty to God. He had
made the same choice that Moses had made
eight centuries before; “By faith Moses, when
he had grown up, refused to be called the son
of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to
endure ill-treatment with the people of God,
than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin;
considering the reproach of Christ greater
riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was
looking to the reward.” (Hebrews 11:24-26).
Background
“This was the message which Jeremiah the
prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah,
when he had written down these words in a
book at Jeremiah's dictation, in the fourth year
of Jehoikim the son of Josiah, king of Judah,
saying...” (Jeremiah 45:1).
Our mystery guest is Baruch. Baruch is not
an extremely well known Bible character, but
he is the one being described in the first two
paragraphs. He was like Moses in the sense
that he, too, passed by a promising career to
occupy what, by the world's standards at least,
was a much lower position. Instead of serving
along side his brother on the king's court, he
had become the scribe of a prophet who was
unpopular with the leaders of the land. Thus,
his promising career had gone nowhere fast,
and from all appearances, that was precisely
where it would end up.
Baruch was Jeremiah's scribe. As such, it
had been Baruch who had penned the
prophecies of doom for the apostate nation
and their wicked leaders. His city, its temple,
its people; all he held dear were facing
catastrophic ruin. The very words he had
written were hated by the leadership and
unpopular with the people. All his own
personal aspirations had been cast aside, and
now he was in hiding with Jeremiah under
threat of execution by the evil king Jehoikim.
He had stood for what was right, and now the
question had crossed his mind as to whether it
had all been worth it.
Why Is This Happening to Me?
“Thus says the Lord the God of Israel to
you, O Baruch: You say, 'Ah, woe is me! For
the Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am
weary with my groaning and have found no
rest.” (Jeremiah 45:2,3).
Many times there are huge costs to pay for
faithfully serving the Lord. Many times it
means taking stands which are unpopular. It
may mean facing ridicule. It may mean
ostracism. It may mean being treated unfairly.
It may call for sacrifice of material things and
the goodwill of man in order to have the
approval of God (John 12:42,43). Many are
unwilling to pay the costs. Are you? Or will you
make the compromises the world expects you
to make to avoid paying the costs? Will you
refrain from speaking the truth or taking a
stand for right when it may prove too costly in
terms of losing the world's approval?
Baruch had been willing to serve, but had
become discouraged and had begun to
question his decision. As he contemplated the
losses he had endured, he wondered if it had
been worth it. There seemed no relief in sight.
Somewhere along the way, Baruch had lost
something that is very important to every child
of God; a simple, trusting confidence that
yields peace even during the roughest storms
of life. That was what he needed to find once
again (Philippians 4:4-8).
If such questions should arise within us
during trials as arose in Baruch, then let us
remember our assurance in Christ Jesus;
“Therefore, do not throw away your
confidence, which has great reward. For you
have need of endurance, so that when you
have done the will of God, you may receive
what was promised. 'For yet in a very little
while, He who is coming will come and will not
delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith;
and if he shrinks back, My soul has no delight
in him.' For we are not of those who shrink
back to destruction, but of those who have
faith to the preserving of the soul.” (Hebrews
10:35-39).
The Lord's Answer to Baruch
“Thus you shall say to him, 'Thus says the
LORD, “Behold, what I have built I am about to
tear down, and what I have planted I am about
to uproot, that is, the whole land. But you, are
you seeking great things for yourself? Do not
seek them; for behold, I am going to bring
disaster on all flesh,” declares the LORD, “but I
will give your life to you as booty in all the
places you may go.” (Jeremiah 45:4,5).
Baruch was grieved over “what might have
been” but the Lord was grieved over losing
what already was; the nation of Israel. He had
built the nation, cared for it and provided for
it. Now, He was going to destroy it. Who was it
that was suffering the greatest loss? God or
Baruch?
What have you or I sacrificed that
compares to God's sacrifice in our behalf.?
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your
sakes He became poor, that you through His
poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians
8:9). God loved us to the extent that He “gave
His only begotten Son” for the world. The Son's
anguished cry, “My God, My God, why hast
Thou forsaken Me?” reminds us of the extent
of that sacrifice for our sins. How can we not
allow the love of Christ” to constrain us to
serve the Lord?
They say be careful what you ask for, you
may get it. If Baruch could have gone back in
time and chosen over again, would he really
want to choose differently? The Lord asked
him, “But you, are you seeking great things for
yourself?” Would he really have wanted to be
in a high place on evil Jehoikim's court? A
leader of faithless men? A member of the
apostate government? Loved by the wicked?
Enriched by his position which had been
gained by disloyalty to Jehovah God?
The Lord invited Baruch to think again.
Those men in high places were about to be
brought down to horrible destruction. The
wages of their sins was coming due. Disaster
was coming, and far better to be as far as
possible from those places of prestige and
power. Jerusalem was soon to be judged for its
apostasy.
Baruch would escape the coming
conflagration with his life. That was far better
than the outcome for most of those in high
places. It is the same for those who live by
faith today. Do not aspire to greatness at the
expense of loyalty to God. The weak and poor
who are faithful will have a much better
outcome than those who are great in the
world's eyes but have failed to render to the
Lord His due. “What will a man be profited if
he gains the hold world and forfeits his own
soul?”
The final outcome? Baruch overcame his
doubt and stayed by Jeremiah's side. He
continued to faithfully serve the Lord, and
faced further trials in the following years. He
saw the judgment come and those he had, for
a moment, thought he would have liked to
switch places with go down into horrible
destruction. He won the victory over his
doubts and in later passages we find no hint of
his ever faltering again.
Recently, archaeologists were excited to
find in Israel some signet rings used to seal
written documents. What made these finds
particularly interesting was who the rings
belonged to. They were Baruch's, no doubt
used by him to seal some of the very
documents that now make up the book of
Jeremiah. If you aspire to greatness, let it not
be greatness by the world's standards, but by
God's (Matthew 20:25-28).
Reprinted From the Bradley
Banner
Bradley Church of Christ
Bradley, Illinois
September 22, 1996
What is a Devotional and Why is a Devotional Important.
What is a Devotional and Why is a
Devotional Important.
you go to church you probably hear people
talking about different devotionals. If you go
to a
Christian bookstore, you probably see a whole
section of devotionals. So what are they and
why
is there so much focus in church about them?
Defining a Devotional
When you look up the term “devotional,” you
get
definitions like “a short religious service” or a
“devotional exercise relating to worship.” It
doesn’t really explain what a devotional is or
why
we do them.
What most people talk about when they talk
about devotionals is a book that helps you
grow
in your relationship with God. It is usually
broken
down into daily chapters that you can read
and
pray about.
The key to understanding the devotional is to
actually break down the work. “Devotion” is a
big
clue to a devotional’s use. You show your
devotion to God by reading the passage and
praying on it every day. So the collection of
readings is then known as a devotional.
Using a Devotional
So why would you want to use a devotional?
What will it actually do? Well, Christians use
their
devotionals as a way to grow closer to God
and
learn more about the Christian life. Devotional
books are not meant to be read in one sitting,
they are designed for you to read a bit every
day
and pray on the passages. By praying every
day,
Christians develop a stronger relationship
with
God.
Devotions, the act of reading passages and
praying, are a staple in most denominations.
Yet,
it can get pretty overwhelming when you head
into that bookstore and see row after row of
different devotionals. There are devotionals
that
also function as journals and devotionals
written
by famous people. There are also different
devotionals for men and women.
Advertisement
Is There a Devotional for Me?
In the end, it is a good idea to start with a
devotional specifically written for Christian
teens.
This way you know the daily devotions will be
geared toward the things you deal with every
day.
Then take some time to skim through the
pages
to see which devotional is written in a way
that
speaks to you. Just because God is working
one
way in your friend or someone else at church,
doesn’t mean that God wants to work that way
in
you. You need to choose a devotional that is a
good fit for you
