Our Daily Bread - NOT WHAT IT SEEMS

Not What It Seems

January 3, 2017

Read: 2 Kings 6:8–17 | Bible in a Year: Genesis 7–9; Matthew 3

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Don’t be afraid . . . . Those who are with us are more than those who are with [the enemy]. 2 Kings 6:16

Don is a border collie who lives on a farm in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. One morning, he and his owner, Tom, set out to check on some animals. They rode together in a small farm utility truck. When they arrived, Tom left the vehicle but forgot to put the brake on. With Don in the driver’s seat, the vehicle rolled down a hill and across two lanes of traffic before it stopped safely. To watching motorists, it appeared the dog was out for a morning drive. Indeed, things are not always as they seem.

It seemed as if Elisha and his servant were about to be captured and carried off to the King of Aram. The king’s forces had surrounded the city where Elisha and his servant were staying. The servant believed they were doomed, but Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid . . . . Those who are with us are more than those who are with [the enemy]” (2 Kings 6:16). When Elisha prayed, the servant was able to see the multitudes of supernatural forces that were in place to protect them.

Situations that seem hopeless are not always the way we perceive them to be.

Situations that seem hopeless are not always the way we perceive them to be. When we feel overwhelmed and outnumbered, we can remember that God is by our side. He can “command his angels . . . to guard [us] in all [our] ways” (Ps. 91:11).

Dear God, please give me a glimpse of Your power today. Help me to believe that You are willing and able to help me in any situation I encounter.

Things are always better than they seem to be when we remember that God is by our side.

INSIGHT:

In Elisha and Elijah’s day, the nation of Israel had drifted from God and embraced pagan gods. The miracles God performed through these men called the people back to Himself. How does believing in the God of the miraculous help when you’re feeling helpless or overwhelmed?

DCLM DAILY MANNA - PROVOKING DIVINE JOY

Tuesday January 3, 2017

Provoking Divine Joy

-LUKE 15:1-10

Key Verse:

"Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:10).

The concept of a God Who possesses a large heart capable of forgiving sinful mortals who approach Him in genuine penitence is incomprehensible. But we run into a more dramatic scene when we are faced with a God who diligently looks for returning sinners and as He sights them, He joyfully forgives and assures them He has given them a sonship status. That is the story of the Cross that saw God transform into man to die for the rescue of lost souls. It is the narrative of God’s extraordinary love! Copious parables in the Bible demonstrate God’s great love for the lost sinner. The Lord shows that contrary to worldly thinking, it is not unwise for the Shepherd to "leave… ninety and nine (sheep) in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it…" The Shepherd is in no doubt that the ninety-nine are secure in the fold. But He cannot have the same confidence about the lost one roaming in the wild jungle that is home to ravenous beasts searching for a prey. This good Shepherd places premium value on the life of each sheep. One lost sheep is a grief to Him than the others. Conversely, there is joy at the return or rescue of the lost (Luke 15:5,10). There are two lessons for the Church today. The Body of Christ urgently needs to go out of its comfort zone to look for the straying sheep and bring them back to Jesus Christ. We have stayed too long doing pulpit evangelism. We must imitate Jesus who, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw Peter and Andrew and turned them into fishers of men. Our Lord did not stay in the temple expecting sinners to come to Him. Next, if the Church wants an explosion of joy in heaven, Christians must be more active preaching repentance through Jesus Christ in such public places as markets, bus-stops, schools and in the social media. The souls we win will make God and the angels rejoice.

Thought for the day: A day without evangelism saddens God’s heart.

Bible Reading in one Year: MATTHEW 6 - 7

Open Heavens Daily Devotional - ARISE AND SHINE

Arise and shine: - Open heavens devotional Tuesday January 3 2017

ARISE AND SHINE – Tuesday January 3^rd 2017

Memorise: Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. Isaiah 60:1

Read: Isaiah 60:1-5 (KJV)

1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

² For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

³ And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

⁴ Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

⁵ Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

Bible in one year: Matthew 6-8, Isaiah 2:6-22, Hymn: Sing hymn 4

MESSAGE:

Sometimes, we as children of God become so familiar with a passage of Scripture that we lose the essence of the truths embedded in it by the Holy Spirit. One such passage is Isaiah 60:1:

“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.”

The first truth of Holy Spirit is the relaying to our spirit through this passage today is that this statement is an express command. Here, the Almighty God is commanding us to arise! It is someone who is either sitting or laying down that would be commanded to arise. So, when God says “Arise”, it presupposes that you are either sitting down idle, or that you are on a bed enjoying the sleep of death. I command this day that whosoever is wasting away his or her time in idleness or in the sleep of sin and death will arise in the Name of Jesus Christ! In addition, we are not commanded to arise into obscurity; rather, we are commanded to arise and shine. I also decree that all who are reading this devotional today will arise from their state of obscurity and mediocrity and come to the limelight of success in Jesus’ Name. 

Another truth worthy of note in this same verse of Scripture is this: God is announcing that your light has come. Before now, the Lord did not command you to arise and shine because there was nothing to aid your shinning; but now, He is declaring that your light has come. I therefore say prophetically to you today that your light has come in Jesus’ Name. Here is the big revelation we must not allow to slip away from us: the Holy Spirit in Isaiah 60:1 declares “Thy light is come.” You may be wondering, “What is the light?” the question however should not be what, but Who is the light? John 8:12 reveals the answer:

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Isaiah’s prophetic writing in Isaiah 60:1 came to pass the day Jesus Christ came into this world.

Indeed there is darkness in this world; majority of us are witnesses of this fact. The darkness we are talking about is not the absence of physical light. We are talking about spiritual darkness, principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12). Here are some pertinent questions for you to answer: Are you still in darkness? Why has your light not come? It may be because you have not embraced the Light. If that is the case, today is your day. Accept Jesus, the Light, into your life today and darkness will no longer comprehend you, and therefore will be unable to stop you (John 1:5).

Prayer Point

Father, let the light of your Son, Jesus, shine upon me today, and let His glory help me.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional, written by Pastor E.A Adeboye

Faith Food Devotional - KNOW YOU'RE NEW

January 3

KNOW YOU’RE NEW

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." — 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17

Today’s text is one of my favorite scriptures. I got ahold of it while I was still a bedfast teenager. And when I came off that bed healed, I told everyone I met, “I am a new creature!” Meditate on this verse today, because if you do not understand the truth of what the New Birth is, it will hinder your faith and will keep you from receiving the blessings God intends you to have. The spiritual nature of man, you see, is a fallen nature — a satanic nature. Man received this satanic nature from Satan when Adam sinned. And no man can change his own human nature. But God can! When you were born again, something went on inside you — instantaneously! That old, satanic nature went out of you. And the very life and nature of God came into you! God created you as a brand-new creature — a new creation. The man on the inside — the real you, which is a spirit man — has already become a new man in Christ. So don’t look at yourself from the physical or the natural standpoint. Look at yourself from the spiritual standpoint. See yourself as a new creature in Christ. That’s how God sees you!

Confession:
"I am a new creature. Old things inside me passed away. All things inside me became new. I have a new life. I have a new nature. I have the life of God!"

CGMI ABOVE ONLY - Repentance for Divine Restoration

Above Only Daily Devotional
http://cgmglobal.org/aboveonly

Monday, January 2

Repentance for Divine Restoration

Judges 6:1 & 6-8a
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. *And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD. And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites, That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel…
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Gideon's exploits began with the Midianites' exploitation of the land of Israel following their rebellion against God. There are innumerable consequences for walking outside of God's will for
our lives. Every time we consciously walk outside of God's will, we make ourselves vulnerable to an attack of the enemy. But if we would realize where we have gone wrong and return back to seeking God and walking in His ways, He will bring His divine restoration and blessing into our lives.

In Joel Chapter 2, God used Prophet Joel to call the Israelites to repentance and to seek him from their heart so that He could bring about a restoration of His abundance into their lives and into their land, Joel 2:12, 13 & 25. Cankerworms, caterpillars and palmer worms had devoured their lands because of how they had turned away from God and walked in their own evil ways. But God was ready
to turn around their pain and shame if they were willing to repent, seek Him and walk in His ways.

God is very eager to remind us of His finished work, which includes forgiveness and restoration. He wants us to repent from every wicked way and seek Him so he can rain His abundance upon us, Isa.55:6-11. As we turn unto God to seek Him and walk in His ways this year, He will bring great restoration into our lives and our nation. God will remove shame and pain from our lives and our land this year. He will restore all the years that have been lost and wasted in our lives and our land.

PRAYER FOCUS: Pray for the grace to humble ourselves, turn from our wicked ways, seek God's face and walk in His ways this year.

BIBLE IN A YEAR READING PLAN: GEN 4-7

Empowered to do exploits...

David Abioye Devotional - THE ULTIMATE SATISFACTION

THE ULTIMATE SATISFACTION

Today: 2017-01-02

Many people think that what they need is money.  Some others think that what they need is job, fame or position.  But the ultimate satisfaction is to be in the likeness of God.
He put His image and likeness in us.  So we are compelled to keep longing for Him. Genesis. 1.26,27
“As for me I will behold thy face in Righteousness: I shall be satisfied when I awake with the likeness”.Psalm.17.15. 
The face of God is the cure to the shame of man.  No shame remains with a man who continually beholds the face of God.  Psalm.34.5
The face of God brings change to man. 2 Corinthians 3.18
The face of God is the favour of God-Psalm.30.7, Numbers.6.23-27.
The face of God is our ultimate satisfaction.  Keep looking at Him to ultimately look like Him.

DAILY HOPE DEVOTIONAL - THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE

The Truth Will Set You Free

BY RICK WARREN — JANUARY 1, 2017

“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God — truly righteous and holy. So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body”(Ephesians 4:21-25 NLT, second edition).

The secret to personal change is not willpower. The secret is to know and face the truth. You must know and face the truth about yourself, your relationships, and your own nature if you want to change anything in your life.

Why is it necessary to learn the truth before anything can change in your life? Because behind every self-defeating habit in your life is a lie that you believe. If you get in debt, it’s because you believed some lies like, “I can spend and get away with it” or “I can always pay it back.” You might have overestimated how much you were going to make, or you believed the lie that you needed a much bigger house.

But do you? Are you sure it’s the truth? Can you prove it’s the truth? Are you absolutely certain that what you believe you’ve said about your finances is true? What about your relationships? What about the things you say to yourself about yourself? Is the way you think about your past or about some event the truth, or is the truth what God says about it?

The Bible teaches that personal change starts with truth. It is the truth that sets you free! The Apostle Paul says, “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him . . .” (Ephesians 4:21 NLT, second edition). Who is the truth? Jesus, and because Jesus is the truth, he will always tell you the truth. His Word is the truth. The Bible is his Word, and that means the Bible is truth (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

What you hear on television or read in books isn’t always going to help you, because it’s not always the truth. Have you learned that? But what God tells you is always going to be the truth. God’s Word shows you how to get back to the life you were created to live, and then it shows you how to stay on God’s path.

This is why it is so important for you to have a daily quiet time in the Word of God: Change requires learning the truth. As long as you build your life on a foundation of lies, misconceptions, deceptions, or half-truths, you will never change. But when you face the truth and respond to the truth, you will begin to see change in your life.

Talk It Over

• Think about a self-defeating behavior in your life. What lies have you believed that led you to that behavior?
• How might you change your routine or schedule so that you can spend more time in God’s Word every day?
• Why does it seem easier sometimes to keep believing the lies about ourselves or our circumstances instead of facing the truth?

Our Daily Bread - THE PERFECT GIFT

The Perfect Gift

January 2, 2017

Read: Romans 11:33–12:2 | Bible in a Year: Genesis 4–6; Matthew 2

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Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1

The weeks after Christmas are the busiest time of year in the US for merchandise returns as people trade unwanted gifts for what they really want. Yet you probably know a few people who always seem to give the perfect gift. How do they know just what another person values and what is right for the occasion? The key to successful gift-giving is not money; it’s listening to others and taking a personal interest in what they enjoy and appreciate.

This is true for family and friends. But what about God? Is there anything meaningful or valuable that we can give to God? Is there anything He doesn’t already have?

Dear Lord, I’m Yours. I want to offer myself to You—heart, mind, and will.

Romans 11:33–36, a song of praise to God for His great wisdom, knowledge, and glory, is followed by a call to give ourselves to Him. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (12:1). Instead of being shaped by the world around us, we are to be “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind” (v. 2).

What’s the best gift we can give to God today? In gratitude, humility, and love we can give ourselves completely to Him—heart, mind, and will. It’s just what the Lord is longing to receive from each of us.

Dear Lord, I’m Yours. I want to offer myself to You—heart, mind, and will—in humble service and in thankful worship for all You have done for me.

The best gift we can give to God is ourselves.

INSIGHT:

As Paul begins to describe the new life we can have because of what Jesus has done (Rom. 12–16), he calls for a radical commitment involving the dedication of our bodies and transformation of our minds (12:1–2). God does not require that we die for Him; rather, we are to live for Him—“to offer [ourselves] as a living sacrifice” (v. 1). In the Old Testament two kinds of sacrifices were offered: propitiatory and dedicatory. Propitiatory or atoning sacrifices are mandatory sacrifices to atone for sin and to restore fellowship with God. Jesus, the Lamb of God (John 1:29), is the perfect and final propitiatory sacrifice. Paul emphasizes that “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7). Dedicatory sacrifices are thank offerings voluntarily offered to God to express thankfulness, love, and joyful worship in response to divine blessing or His mercy and grace (Lev. 7:11–15; 22:29; Pss. 50:14, 23; 107:22). We can never offer ourselves as atoning sacrifices (no human person can) because only “Jesus, the Lamb of God, [can take] away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). But we are all qualified to be a thank offering, to be “living sacrifices.” 

DCLM DAILY MANNA - Halfway Obedience Forbidden

Monday January 2, 2017

Halfway Obedience Forbidden

-NUMBERS 14:40-45

Key Verse:

"Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah" (Numbers 14:45).

A man returned home to find out that his children had flouted his instruction that they should not go out after sunset. He was so pained that he had to mete out some disciplinary measures that included some strokes of the cane. He refused to accept their plea that they had spent less than an hour from home, in a bid to please their friends. The man loved these children but he had to punish them to warn them of the danger inherent in disobedience. Not applying the rod would have meant tacitly approving of their action to please their friends while dishonouring their father. In the same vein, God has a far higher correctional standard. He would not condone sin for whatever reason. Having seen the children of Israel through their 40-years journey in the desert as they headed for the Promised Land, the Almighty spoke of their incessant flouting of His laws which warranted the threat to inflict death upon the nation as punishment (Numbers 14:22,23). Only Aaron, Joshua, Caleb and Moses who passionately pleaded for mercy were to be spared. The rejection of the positive report of Caleb and Joshua about the Promised Land was tantamount to a renunciation of God Himself. The sentence? God disallowed those who were not on the side of Joshua and Caleb access to the land flowing with milk and honey. A loving God or earthly parent would not be playing the right role if they do not insist on a full obedience to their instructions. Where there is a breach, the Lord would remember His own principles: "As many as I love I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent" (Revelation 3:19).

Thought for the day: Full obedience to God keeps away His rod.

Bible Reading in one Year: MATTHEW 4 - 5

Faith Food Devotional - FAITH FOLLOWS LIGHT

January 2

FAITH FOLLOWS LIGHT

"The entrance of thy words giveth light . . . ."— PSALM 119:130

As a teenager, I became bedfast. Medical science said I would die. Now, I’d heard the New Birth preached all my life. I knew what God’s will was concerning salvation. And when I came to the Lord while bedfast, I had no doubt that He would hear me. I had no lack of understanding along that line. Therefore, I had no doubt or unbelief concerning salvation. I received salvation, and I knew that I was saved. But, I was still bedfast! I certainly had a lack of understanding of God’s Word concerning divine healing, prayer, and faith. About all I had ever heard preachers say about healing was, “Just leave it to the Lord. He knows best.” (Yes, but in His Word, God has made provision for us to have His best!). In time, after much study of the Bible, I saw the exact steps I needed to take in prayer, and I saw just how to release my faith. Had I known these things earlier, I could have been off that bed months before I was. God didn’t have a certain “set time” to heal me. No! He’s the same every day! The trouble wasn’t with God or His willingness to heal me; the trouble was on my end of the line. As soon as I found out what God’s Word said about healing and acted upon it, I got results! As soon as light comes, faith is there.

Confession:
"I will find out what God’s Word says, and I will act on it. I will get results. I will see to it that God’s Word finds entrance into my spirit. Light will come — and faith will follow."

Open Heavens Daily Devotional - THE DIVINE BAKERY

Open Heavens Messages 2 January 2017:- The Divine Bakery

THE DIVINE BAKERY – Monday January 2^nd 2017

Memorise: And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. John 6:35

Read: John 6:5-13 (KJV)

⁵ When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

⁶ And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

⁷ Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,

⁹ There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

¹⁰ And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

¹¹ And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

¹² When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

¹³ Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

Bible in one year: Matthew 4-5, Isaiah 1:18-2:5, Hymn: Sing hymn 4

MESSAGE:

One of the titles of the Lord is “The Bread of life”.

“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

John 6:35.

Do you know that no name or title of the Lord Jesus Christ is there just for fun? Each of His names is revealed to accomplish a definite assignment in the life of the one to whom it is declared. May the Lord’s names and titles become real in your life this season in Jesus’ Name!

In John 11:25, the Lord introduced Himself as the Resurrection and the Life. Less than an hour later, just to demonstrate the reality of that name, someone who had died and had been buried for four days came out of the grave alive. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I command every good thing that is dead in your life to experience a touch from the Resurrection and the Life now! Similarly, He announced Himself as the Bread of Life. In our Bible text, a young boy handed over his lunch to Him, comprising five loaves of bread and two tiny fishes, and when that day ended, everyone present could testify to the reality of that title: The Bread of Life!

Whatever you hand over to the Lord Christ is multiplied by Him. When the young boy gave Him his loaves of bread and fishes, He began to break the bread. As people watched Him, they could not believe what they were seeing. The more they focused on Jesus as He broke the bread. The more they marvelled. He was breaking off thousands of pieces of bread from one loaf of bread, and yet that loaf in His hand did not get smaller! Why? It is because as the Bread of life, He Himself is the heavenly bakery. Having Him as Source means He can supply all the bread that is needed to feed the whole world. If He could feed the thousands of people in this passage, and if He could feed the nation of Israel for 40 years in the wilderness (without them engaging in any form of farming, fishing or hunting), He can definitely feed you and your family throughout your stay on earth. Therefore, hand over what He has given you back to Him! How much do you depend on Him for both physical and spiritual bread?

Key point

The Best way to multiply what you have is to hand it over to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional, written by Pastor E.A Adeboye