Our Daily Bread - Just A Touch

Just a Touch

  May 2, 2017  

Read: Matthew 8:1–4 | Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 12–13; Luke 22:1–20

 
 
 
 

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Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. Matthew 8:3

Kiley leaped at the chance to go to a remote area of East Africa to assist a medical mission, yet she felt uneasy. She didn’t have any medical experience. Still, she could provide basic care.

While there, she met a woman with a horrible but treatable disease. The woman’s distorted leg repulsed her, but Kiley knew she had to do something. As she cleaned and bandaged the leg, her patient began crying. Concerned, Kiley asked if she was hurting her. “No,” she replied. “It’s the first time anyone has touched me in nine years.”

Lord, we want to show the fearless love You showed when You walked this earth.

Leprosy is another disease that can render its victims repulsive to others, and ancient Jewish culture had strict guidelines to prevent its spread: “They must live alone,” the law declared. “They must live outside the camp” (Lev. 13:46).

That’s why it’s so remarkable that a leper approached Jesus to say, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean” (Matt. 8:2). “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ ” (v. 3).

In touching a lonely woman’s diseased leg, Kiley began to show the fearless, bridge-building love of Jesus. A single touch made a difference.

Lord, we want to show the fearless love You showed when You walked this earth.

What difference might we make if we overcome our fears and trust God to use us?

Share with other readers at Facebook.com/ourdailybread.

INSIGHT:

Do you wonder what it would feel like to be an “untouchable”? Or do you know all too well what it means to be avoided like the plague, either from your own experience or through the pain of someone you love? If you’ve felt the sting of exclusion, then you probably can feel empathy for the leper who reached out to Jesus. Until that day, this man would have had to live on the outside of normal relationships and society. According to ancient ceremonial rules, “Those who suffer from a serious skin disease must . . . cover their mouth and call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as the serious disease lasts, they . . . must live in isolation in their place outside the camp” (Lev. 13:45–46 nlt).

Such social isolation, however, wasn’t the worst part. In first-century Israel, lepers were regarded as rejected by God. So imagine what it must have meant when Jesus reached out to a desperate person who probably hadn’t felt a human touch for years. Every time Jesus performed a miracle of healing, He gave credibility to His words and showed hopeless, suffering, and even untouchable people that God knew and loved them. Mart DeHaan

Open Heavens Devotional - GROW IN GIVING

GROW IN GIVING – Tuesday May 2^nd 2017

Memorise: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bossom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:38

Read: Luke 6:36-38 (King James Version)

^6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

^6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

^6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Bible in one year: Numbers 32:33, Jeremiah 24, Hymn: Sing hymn 10

MESSAGE:

God is interested in the prosperity of His children. Although He has made His resources available to us, it will take obedience and compliance with His principles to tap into them. To tap into the financial resources of Heaven, you must pay your tithes, give offerings and fulfil your pledges and vows. You must be ready to give, if you want something in return. A while ago, while preaching at a particular church, as I issued some prophetic decrees over the congregation, I noticed that their response of “Amen” was quite loud.  Then I jokingly said one of them would buy me a new jet, and the loudness of their response nose-dived. Another time, I was in the same church and repeated what I said before; this time, their response was much louder. So I said to them, “You people are different.” I perceived that their faith and understanding of giving had grown.

Proverbs 3:9-1-10 says if you can honour God with your first fruits, you will be dazed and amazed at what He would do in your life. It is one thing to have knowledge, and it is another thing to apply it. I once shared with some pastors that your teacher will never teach you all the knows, otherwise he wouldn’t be a teacher; but your father will be willing to teach you all the knows, although he may reserve one or two till moments before his death. In other words, there are certain secrets that a person can only get from his or her father, and I would like to share one of those secrets that God has revealed to me with you. One day, while sitting quietly somewhere, God said to me, “Son, what kind of pastor would you like to be?” I replied, saying “Daddy, I am sorry I don’t understand the question.” He then further asked, “Do you want to be the best or worst, the greatest or least, the richest or poorest pastor?” I told Him I wanted to be the best, greatest and the richest pastor, and He went silent. At a Church programme not long after, the Lord asked again, “Son, what kind of pastor did you say you want to be?” I quickly replied, “The best, the greatest, and the richest,” Then He asked me to give the highest denomination in my pocket. I reluctantly obeyed.  At another meeting, He again asked me the type of pastor I wanted to be, and I responded as before, and He instructed me to double what I normally give as my offering. I easily complied this time around because things had started changing for me since I began to obey His instructions or giving. When I shared this testimony some years ago, someone told me he moved up to giving N10, 000 for every offering. I congratulated him and told him I was at that stage in 1998 but had since surpassed that. Although my giving was sacrificial initially because things were hard for me, I gave glory to God that things are no longer as hard. If you don’t grow up in your giving, you may not be enlarged in your receiving.

Prayer Point:

Father, raise more Christ-like leaders to mentor your people, and make me one of such.

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

Faith Food Devotions - SAVING THE LOST

May 2

SAVING THE LOST

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." — 2 PETER 3:9


We know that saving the lost is God’s will — because it was to save the lost that Jesus laid down His life. Therefore, knowing this, we would not pray, “God, save my mother, if it is Your will. Don’t let her go to hell, if it is Your will. If it’s not Your will, let her go to hell.” No! Why? Because we know God’s will in the matter. God’s will — His Word — makes it clear in such scriptures as John 3:16 and Second Peter 3:9. It is God’s will for men and women to be saved. Therefore, we can pray for the lost with great boldness. Believers especially can exercise great authority in praying for the salvation of their families. I used some of the scriptures we have been studying as I prayed for my relatives. I said something like this: “This is the confidence that we have in God, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. What I am asking for is according to God’s will; therefore, He hears me. That is what the Word says. ‘And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desire of him.’ Then according to the Word, I have that petition.” Then I stopped asking and started thanking God. It’s amazing how it works. I don’t mean that your entire family will necessarily come to the Lord overnight, but as you stand in faith, thanking God, they will come.



Confession: I can pray in faith for the lost, because I know God’s will in the matter!

Daily Hope Devotion - Working Together to Bring People to Jesus

Working Together to Bring People to Jesus

BY RICK WARREN — APRIL 30, 2017

“[God] reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18b NIV).

You and I have been given the same mission that Jesus had. It’s one of the most critical acts of mercy we can take.

The Bible says, “[God] reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18b NIV). Your mission is simply to pass on to others the same Good News about God’s love that somebody told you.

But God doesn’t expect you to fulfill your mission on your own. He gives you other Christians to support you. In fact, evangelism is something you can do as a small group.

God has given us a wonderful example of this in Luke 5:17-26. It’s the story of a group of friends who brought someone to Jesus. They couldn’t find a way to get into the house where Jesus was, so they lowered their paraplegic friend through a hole in the roof on a stretcher, right in the middle of everyone and in front of Jesus. Jesus was impressed by their faith and told the man to get up and walk, and the man immediately did! The people were amazed.

In this great story God gives us five principles for how your group can reach out to other people and how you can fulfill your God-given mission in the world.

• The Principle of Compassion: This small group cared enough for a helpless friend to do something about his pain. Mercy is not just a feeling. It is love in action.
• The Principle of Cooperation: God has assigned each of us a task in evangelism. Paul says, “I planted the seed and Apollos watered it” (1 Corinthians 3:6 BSB). In other words, you don’t have to do it all yourself, but you do have to do your part. And God will reward you for it.
• The Principle of Faith: Jesus says that the faith of paraplegic’s friends leads to him being healed. Nobody is beyond the reach of God’s love. God specializes in doing the impossible. So don’t give up on people you care about. Have faith in what God can do in their lives.
• The Principle of Action: The friends had a plan, and they put it into action. The paralyzed man needed other people to bring him to Jesus because he couldn’t get there on his own.
• The Principle of Persistence: The friends could have been discouraged when they couldn’t get into the door because of the crowd, but they didn’t give up. They showed determination. They said, “Whatever it takes, we’re going to bring our friend to Jesus.”

Are you willing to go through the roof for a friend? Everybody needs to know Jesus! Without Jesus, people have no hope in eternity. The Christian who doesn’t care about the lost is really saying to the world, “I don’t care about you. You can go to Hell.” But the Bible says, “The Lord is . . . not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV).

Don’t get discouraged, and don’t give up. Keep praying, keep asking, keep inviting, and keep working to reach that person for Jesus.

Helping people get into Heaven is the greatest act of mercy you can do for them.

Talk It Over

• What friends (or family members) can help you “carry” someone to Jesus?
• In your small group, agree on four or five people you want to bring to Jesus as a group.
• Of the five principles mentioned above, where do you most want to see growth as you work together with others to bring people to Jesus?

DCLM DAILY MANNA - CLAIM GOD’S WORD

CLAIM GOD’S WORD

-PSALM 119:81-88

KEY VERSE:

"My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word" (Psalm 119:81).

One of the mightiest men of prayer of last generation was George Muller of Bristol, England. When it was laid upon Muller’s heart to pray for anything, he would search the Scriptures to find if there were some promises that captured the case. And when he found a promise, with his Bible opened before him and his finger upon that promise, he would claim God’s word. He thus received whatever he asked for. It is amazing how believers sometimes imagine God to be a forgetful Being. Using our human limitations as a yardstick, we reason that if God’s promises seem to linger from being fulfilled in our lives, He, probably, must have forgotten, got too busy or altogether become unconcerned about our state. This is the situation with the Psalmist in our text as he was being persecuted wrongly by his enemies, who dug pits for him. He was so discouraged and almost at the point of death that his soul fainted while waiting for God’s salvation and deliverance. Fortunately, he was able to still put his hope in God’s words. Unknown to many, God’s word, His instructions, revelations, prophecies and promises are a reflection of His nature. He is immortal. He is unchanging. He is undying. Likewise His words. Once uttered, they hover around like living forces, until their missions are accomplished. God is not a man that He should lie or say anything He cannot or will not do. Man often proves his natural limitation, when he breaks an agreement. It is a reflection of his innate changeability. But God is ever faithful. His faithfulness provides a sure anchor of hope and comfort for the true believer – an anchor that remains steadfast amidst the uncertainties and vicissitudes of life. So, child of God, look away from your natural limitations, the instability of your environment and the inconsistency of your fellow humans and abandon all your worries and cares in the mighty hands of the One so dependable. In His immutability lies your security. Trust Him absolutely and claim His unfailing words.

Thought for the day: Faint not, claim God’s Words.

Bible Reading in one Year: 1 CHRONICLES 1-4

Our Daily Bread - Questions for God

Questions for God

  May 1, 2017  

Read: Judges 6:11–16, 24 | Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 10–11; Luke 21:20–38

 
 
 
 

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Go with the strength you have . . . . I will be with you. nlt Judges 6:14, 16

What would you do if the Lord showed up in the middle of your workday with a message? This happened to Gideon, one of the ancient Israelites. “The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!’ ” Gideon could have responded with a wordless nod and gulp, but instead he said, “If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” (Judg. 6:12–13 nlt). Gideon wanted to know why it seemed as if God had abandoned His people.

God didn’t answer that question. After Gideon had endured seven years of enemy attacks, starvation, and hiding in caves, God didn’t explain why He never intervened. God could have revealed Israel’s past sin as the reason, but instead He gave Gideon hope for the future. God said, “Go with the strength you have . . . . I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites” (vv.14, 16 nlt).

Lord, I am reaching out to You for the peace I need.

Do you ever wonder why God has allowed suffering in your life? Instead of answering that specific question, God may satisfy you with His nearness today and remind you that you can rely on His strength when you feel weak. When Gideon finally believed that God was with him and would help him, he built an altar and called it “The Lord Is Peace” (v. 24).

There is peace in knowing that whatever we do and wherever we go, we go with God who promised never to leave or forsake His followers.

For help, read Why? Seeing God in Our Pain at discoveryseries.org/cb151.

What could be better than getting answers to our why questions? Trusting a good and powerful God.

INSIGHT:

Today’s text provides some insight into how we should view situations for which we feel inadequate. Gideon did not feel prepared to go into battle against the Midianites who were oppressing Israel. Responding to Gideon’s understandable concern, God sent the angel of the Lord to encourage him. He said that Gideon should “go in the strength” he had (Judg. 6:14), but he also said, “I will be with you” (v. 16). When God calls us to take on a difficult task, we can rely on His strength and power to help us accomplish it.

Are you facing a situation for which you feel inadequate? Ask God for His strength to help you.

CGMG ABOVE ONLY- Acknowledge Your Greatness in Christ

Acknowledge Your Greatness in Christ

MONDAY MAY. 1

 Colossians 1:12-13 (NIV), Matthew 11:11 (NIV)
Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. *I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he of Midian seven years.

---

Are there some great men and women in the Old Testament that you admire? People like Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Esther, Ruth, Deborah, Daniel, David, Solomon, Jehoshaphat, Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, Nehemiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zechariah? All these men and women were great and they did exploits for God, but Jesus noted that John the Baptist was greater than them all. However, He didn't stop there. Jesus went on to add that the very least of us in His kingdom is greater than John the Baptist. In other words, the very least believer in Christ is actually far greater than all these great men and women of old. We occupy a far better position than they did and possess a far greater capacity to do exploits than they could ever dream of.

It means that everything that made these men and women of old as great as they were is in us- even much more. It means that we can experience a better relationship with God than they did and that we can also accomplish greater exploits than they did. Everything they did amounted to a foreshadowing of what was to come. It is we who are in Christ that have the real substance, Col.2:17. After Hebrews 11 describes the great exploits of faith of these men and women of old in verses 39 and 40 (NIV), the author goes on to say, “these were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” It is good to admire these men and women of old, but we must come to the realization of our own greatness in Christ and stir up that which God has deposited in us for greater exploits.

PRAYER FOCUS: Thank God for your greatness in Christ and receive grace to stir up His glorious inheritance and power in you.

      BIBLE IN ONE YEAR READING PLAN:  2 SAM 5:1-10; 1 CHRON. 11-12   Empowered to do Exploits... - See more at: http://www.cgmglobal.org/aboveonly/index.php#sthash.j5xBIovo.dpuf

Open Heavens Devotional - OVERRIDING DOUBTS

OVERRIDING DOUBTS – Monday May 1^st 2017

Memorise: Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it? Isaiah 43:13

Read: James 1:5-8 (King James Version)

⁵ If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

⁶ But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

⁷ For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

⁸ A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Bible in one year: Numbers 30-31, Jeremiah 23:23-40, Hymn: Sing hymn 1

MESSAGE:

God can make you laugh when He decides to overrule your doubts. Going by the standard set in today’s Bible reading, if you are double minded over an issue you brought before God, you should not expect anything from Him. However, if you doubted God in a given situation and He overlooks your doubt and grants your petition, know for sure He is doing it solely because of His grace. In Genesis 18:9-15, when God visited Abraham and said his wife Sarah was going to have a baby in nine months’ time, she laughed. She could not believe that she could ever be pregnant at age 90.  She laughed because she had never seen such a thing happen before. Are you laughing over God’s promises and declarations over your life? Are you laughing because you have never seen anyone who experienced that kind of miracle? Stop your laugh of doubt and believe God today! Why? If there is no precedent to follow, God can make yours the precedence that others would refer to.

A life of faith is so important to God that four different times in the Bible, He repeatedly said “The just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38). However, as a manifestation of His sovereignty, He also says that whenever He makes up His mind to do something, nobody and nothing can hinder Him – not even your doubts (Isaiah 43:13). I pray that every good plan and purpose of God for your life shall be established in spite of your doubts in Jesus’ Name! We see this truth demonstrated in 2^nd Kings 4:8-17. When Elisha declared to the Shunammite woman that she would have a son after nine months, she replied, “Man of God, please don’t deceive me.” This meant that she did not believe him. Although Elisha did not say anything after that, God had already spoken, and so the matter was settled. She thereafter had her baby in accordance to Elisha’s declaration. This season, God will overrule your doubts and give you that expected miracle! There are some people who believe God’s promise for a little while and then fall into doubt again. Over the years, they have continuously swung back and forth between faith and doubt and so have not been able to receive God’s promise. This season, by the mercy of the Most High God, the Lord will override your doubts and make the impossible possible in your life in Jesus’ Name. God’s mercy will show up for you today! Your laughing season starts now.

Prayer Point

Father, in Your mercy, override my doubts and every stumbling block on my way, and cause my laughter to begin today.

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

Faith Food Devotions - ACCORDING TO HIS WILL

May 1

ACCORDING TO HIS WILL


"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." — 1 JOHN 5:14,15

People have remembered John’s phrase “according to his will,” and thought they had to pray, “Lord, do this or that, if it be thy will.” But inserting this expression into a prayer when God’s Word already states that what we’re praying for is His will — is confessing that we don’t believe God’s Word. And that kind of praying will not work. How can we find out what God’s will is? God’s Word is His will! We can find out God’s will for us in the Bible— because the Bible is God’s will, His covenant, and His testament. And it is God’s will for us to have whatever God has provided for us! First we must find the scriptures that reveal God’s will for us. Then we can go before God with great boldness: “. . . this is the CONFIDENCE that we have in him . . . .” When we pray for things that God’s Word tells us are His will, we know that He hears us! And when we know God hears us, we know we have the petitions we ask of Him. We know we have them, praise God!.



Confession: I have this boldness toward God: When I ask anything according to God’s Word, I know He hears me! And I know that when God hears me, I have the petitions I desired of Him!