Psalm 69:30-31
‘I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.’

DAILY READING – 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13; Isaiah 17-19; Psalm 114

In 1969, a ruthless young man was appointed as the leader of the Soviet Union Communist Youth League. His name was Sergei Nikolayevich Kourdakov. His main assignment was to break up underground Christian meetings. Sergie eventually succeeded in breaking up over 150 secret meetings of Christians. During these attacks, Christian leaders were killed or arrested and Church members were beaten and terrorized.

However, as time went on, Sergie noticed that his Christian-busting raids weren’t having the desired effect. The Christians remained persistent and rather, their Church attendance continued to surge. Sergie noticed a particularly beautiful Christian girl named Natasha Zhdanova. Though he beat her severally to intimidate and discourage her, she only persisted in attending more Church meetings. At this point, Sergie became curious about what made the Christians so persistent despite all his attacks on them. 

One day, when asked by his superiors to burn some Christian texts, out of curiosity, he hid a hand-written copy of the Gospel of Luke, which he later read in secret. The words of Jesus he read gripped him and gradually began to transform him. With time, he became disillusioned with communism. In January of 1971, while in a ship that came into Canadian waters, Sergie seized the opportunity to defect by plunging into the waters and swimming until he arrived the shores of Canada.

When the Soviet Union government told Canada to deport him, Sergie prayed to God to intervene, promising to serve Him. God did intervene and the Canadian government granted him asylum. In keeping with his promise to serve God, Sergie converted to Christianity and became an evangelist who began exposing the evils of communism. He told his story in his autobiography, “The Persecutor” with subtitle of “Forgive Me, Natasha.”

The apostle, Paul refers to his first encounter with Jesus as an arrest. While he was persecuting the Church, he was “apprehended” by Jesus. [Philippians 3:12]. Before his conversion, Saul was a terror to the Christians, locking up men and women for their faith. As believers continued to cry out to God, the most unexpected happened. Saul was arrested by Jesus on his way to Damascus. Overnight, Saul the chief persecutor was turned around to become the chief promoter of the Church.

Truly, God knows how to arrest the people and situations that try to harass His people. He is the God who can arrest the arresters.

In 1 Samuel 19:20-24, King Saul was persecuting David. When he sent soldiers to arrest David, God arrested the soldiers and they began to prophesy. When Saul himself went, he too was arrested by the power of God and began to prophesy.

Indeed, God knows how to turn around those that be against you, to be for you. He can turn your mockers into your workers. God can convert your oppressors to become your up-lifters. The same lips, the same tongues that cursed you will be turned around to bless you. Those who opposed you will begin to applaud you, and those who berated you will celebrate you.

Truly, the heart of every man is in the hand of the Lord and He turns it whichever way He will. Though people may fight you and resist you, God can work on their hearts and they will begin to favor you. Certainly, when a man’s ways please the Lord, God will cause even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Therefore, in this season, let your focus be on pleasing God. And one of the ways we please the Lord is through offering Him worthy praise. 

Psalm 69:30-31 says, ‘I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.’

Indeed, praise pleases God and when He is pleased, He will turn around situations in our favor. This is why you must remain joyful in the face of any persecution. As we focus on praising God despite adverse situations, He will certainly arrest everyone and everything trying to harass us. He will turn our mourning into dancing and give us beauty in the place of ashes.

PRAYER
Lord, please help me to bless You at all times, so that by Your power I can overcome the oppositions against me. I thank You Lord because even right now, I know You are doing for me exceedingly abundantly above all I could ever ask, think or imagine in Jesus’ Name.

QUOTE: When you apply the Word of God it will work for you anywhere and anytime. WORDBITE 222.

Mathew 10: 9-10 ‘Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for workman is worthy of his meat’

DAILY READING • 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16; Isaiah 14-16; Psalm 113

Francis of Assisi was born in Italy in 1181 as the son of a wealthy merchant. As a young man, Francis led a worldly, carefree life. He was renowned for drinking and partying..
It was said he squandered his time terribly and outshone all his friends in trivialities.
In 1202 he marched off to battle, full of a young man’s dreams of military glory. But he was taken prisoner during the battle, and a year passed before his father could arrange ransom. That was followed by a year’s convalescence in Assisi, a year in which Francis, now in his early twenties, was slowly transformed. During his illness, he experienced dreams and visions and one day as he prayed he said he heard the Lord telling him to go and repair His house.
He then proceeded to sell off family goods to raise money for repairs of the Church building. When his father caught wind of this, he was furious. He dragged Francis before the local bishop to force his son into changing his unseemly behavior and to pay him back. In the course of the interview, Francis took off his clothes and laid them neatly in a pile before his father. “Up to today I called you ‘father,'” he said to him, “but now I can say in all honesty, ‘Our Father who art in heaven.'” He walked out of the cathedral to become a hermit.
One day in church he heard from the Gospel of Matthew, “Take no gold or silver or copper in your wallet, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics or sandals or a staff.” He took it literally and began an itinerant life of utter simplicity and preaching the message of repentance, and radical obedience to Christ’s teaching.
He is today celebrated as one of the most outstanding figures in Christian history.

Despite the great wealth he was born into, Francis found greater joy, when he became a devotee of the faith. It was only when he located his calling in Christ that he found value, peace and fulfillment in life.
Today, the concerns about what to eat, drink and wear, has derailed many people from following God’s call. The care of this life has diverted their attention from the divine purpose for their lives. We have to come to the place where we fully realize that our lives can only have meaning and value when we dedicate it to following God’s call.
We must value our calling more than the pursuit of worldly things. God will judge us according to how well we followed His will for our lives.
Your calling is what will matter in the end. You can make all the money in the world and still be unhappy, unfulfilled. What is more important is ensuring we are following God’s preordained plan for us. Once we are following the will of God we will be fulfilled whether we have or not have. Joy will fill our lives.

In Mathew 10, Jesus said ‘Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for workman is worthy of his meat.’ ”

Jesus told His disciples to take no purse for your journey, because the provision will come as you pursue the vision. Step out in faith believing God. You don’t have to have enough money before you strike out in doing what God has called you to do. . Faithful is He that called you who also will do it. What God has ordered He is able to pay for.
As we pursue God’s call, He will take care of us.
Indeed following God’s plan for our lives is what will bring provision, joy, peace and fulfillment. As we sincerely seek God’s kingdom first, then every other thing shall indeed be added unto us.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for the grace to make You number one priority in my life. Surely as I seek first Your kingdom, every other thing shall be added unto me in Jesus Name

Quote
It takes a heart for God to make a mark in the sands of time. – – WORDBITE 222.

Mathew 25:2-4 ‘. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.’

DAILY READING ; 1 Thessalonians 1; Isaiah 11-13; Psalm 112

Astronauts live in space in a place called the international space station [ISS]. They can live there for months and when they run out of supplies, new supplies are sent to them using a capsule.
In December 2019, one of such capsules containing thousands of pounds of supplies was to be carried by a rocket into space. Thereafter, the capsule would detach itself from the rocket and then ignite its own engines that would take it further up to the international space station where the astronauts waited for it.
However, the capsule was unable to carry out this mission because of a fault with its clock.
After separating from the rocket, the capsule missed the moment it needed to ignite its engines for a carefully timed and fully automated process.
The clock system that tracked time and guided maneuvers for the capsule, had unexpectedly malfunctioned. This caused the capsule to lose track of time and so the engines didn’t start when they should have.
When engineers on earth monitoring the operation realized what was going on, they scrambled to send new commands to the capsule, but it was too late. The capsule had been burning fuel as it stayed in one position and could no longer execute the order of moving upwards to the ISS to deliver the crucial supplies to the astronauts.
The engineers had no choice but to return the capsule back to the Earth. It streaked through the atmosphere, and eventually parachuted down in New Mexico. This error with its timing made the capsule not to accomplish its important mission and purpose.

Likewise, spiritually, failure to accomplish divine purpose is often a function of missing divine timing.
In the scripture there are two Greek words used for time: one is chronos, that’s where we get our word chronological. It deals with ordinary time: minutes, hours and days. The second Greek word is Kairos: it’s defined as an opportune moment, a passing instant where an opening appears. It has to do with an appointed time, with a season of favor.
In our journey of destiny, God has already ordained these Kairos moments for us. But if we are not sensitive and alert in the spirit, we might miss our timing and divine opportunities.
This was what happened to the Israelites at Kardesh Barnea. After leaving slavery in Egypt and travelling through the horrible desert, they finally were camped next door to the Promised Land. It was their Kairos moments, an incredible door was about to open, an opportunity of a lifetime. And yet they missed this divine timing due to a crisis of faith and had to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that unbelieving generation passed away.
Also the five foolish virgins missed their kairos moment. They had every opportunity to get oil, while they could, but the squandered the time of grace and the door became closed to them.
On the earth today, we are living in unusual times. There is just a window of time left and it is an opening of grace, let’s not squander it.
We need to get oil in our lamps and begin to seek God like never before. Let us not get carried away by the numerous distractions in the world and go to sleep spiritually.
We need to be sensitive to the leadings of the Spirit so as not to miss God’s timing for us especially as the end-time events unfold.
1 Thessalonians 5:6-9 says ‘Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober… For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.
At this time on earth, God has given us divine grace. Let us not neglect such great salvation, rather now is the time to align ourselves with God’s will and continually obey the Holy Spirit.
Indeed now is the time for us to watch in the Word and pray always so that we can be sensitive to promptly follow God’s divine timing and accomplish His purpose for us on the earth.

PRAYER; Father please help me to pay the required price of spiritual responsibility, in order to receive specific instructions concerning Your will for me in each season of my life. I receive grace for obedience to Your divine purpose in Jesus Name.

QUOTE :
Illuminate your world for you are a star destined to shine. WORDBITE 222

Prov. 3:5-6
‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths’.

DAILY READING – Revelation 21-22; Isaiah 9-10; Psalm 111

In 2001, many news outlets reported the amazing story of Pilot Robert Piche who safely landed an aircraft after flying 80 miles on zero fuel. On August 4, 2001, his plane took off on a late-night flight from Toronto to Lisbon.

The plane was fully fueled and flew normally for the first four hours of its flight. However, unknown to the pilot, the fuel line to the engine had ruptured and was leaking. By the time the pilot noticed what was wrong, the plane had lost power to the right engine due to the fuel leakage. Just a few minutes later, the left engine failed, too. With zero fuel in the plane, Pilot Robert Piché had to apply all his expertise and knowledge of flying to prevent a crash. Maximizing use of the instrument panel, he managed to maneuver the plane into a glide. And for the next 80 miles, the plane glided without fuel and without a functional engine.

The plane eventually had a rough landing on a remote island, with no brakes, the landing gear locked up and 8 tires deflated.
Except for a few injuries, all crew and passengers survived. Through God’s grace, a fatal crash was avoided.
As a result of this incident, today, Pilot Robert Piche holds the world record for the longest glider flight of a commercial aircraft in history.

Knowing what to do in a crisis situation enabled this pilot to safely land his plane under most difficult conditions. Likewise, spiritual knowledge is indispensable in our flight of destiny. When you know what to do when challenged, you will always triumph.

Just Iike the pilot’s knowledge of his plane’s instrument saved the day, spiritually, our understanding of the “instruments” of God’s Word enables us to survive and soar even in most difficult circumstances.

In the flight of destiny, we will occasionally encounter unforeseen and unexpected events. But as we strictly adhere to the instructions of scriptures, we will always emerge victorious.

A believer who lacks proper knowledge of the Word will be thrown off balance in times of sudden challenges, but they that do know their God will be strong and do exploits.

It is therefore important for us to daily build up our spiritual knowledge because the battles of life have no timetable. Oftentimes, they come suddenly, when least expected. However, when we trust in the Lord and follow His Word, He will always direct our paths.

Prov. 3:5 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our heart, and lean not on our own understanding; in all our ways, as we acknowledge Him, He shall direct our paths.

To successfully navigate through life, you need to wholly trust in the Lord. You cannot afford to rely on your senses or trust other people’s opinions, because even sincere people can be sincerely wrong. We must discipline ourselves to base our decisions only on the Scriptures.

Certainly, God’s Word never fails, His counsel stands sure forever. He upholds all things by the Word of His power. As long as we keep holding on to His Word, God will also uphold us in every situation.
His Word will be fulfilled no matter how tough the circumstances. Indeed
God never breaks covenant nor alters what has gone out of His lips.
Therefore, in this season, as we hold on to the Word and continually bless the Lord at all times, we will certainly see a speedy fulfillment of His promises in our lives.

PRAYER
Lord, please enable me to follow the instructions of Scriptures at all times. Please grant me the grace to diligently study Your Word so as to build up my spiritual understanding and always triumph in every circumstance in Jesus Name.

QUOTE
God is preparing you for the season He prepared for your Breakthrough. – WORDBITE 222.

Psalm 34:5
‘They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.’

DAILY READING – Revelation 20; Isaiah 7-8; Psalm 110

The book, titled, ‘On This Day’, tells the story of Missionaries Dick and Margaret Hillis who were caught in China during the Japanese invasion, just before the start of World War II. At this most difficult moment, on January 15, 1941, Dick Hillis developed appendicitis and had to be rushed to a hospital in another town.

His wife, Margaret, was left behind with their children in the inland village of Shenkiu, where they lived. As the news of Japanese invasion began to spread, people in the town began to plan to evacuate. Margaret knew her small children would not survive in refugee camp so she elected to stay back despite the threat of being captured by the invading Japanese. She decided to put her trust in God and believe Him for their deliverance.

In her home was a scriptural calendar, which had a scripture verse for each date. Early the next morning, she read the new day’s Scripture verse. It was Psalm 56:3, which reads “What time I am afraid, I will trust Thee”. During that day, the residents of the town, afraid of the rumored Japanese invasion, all fled, leaving only Margaret and her two children behind.

The next morning, Margaret could hear the sound of approaching gunfire. She didn’t know how they would get food. Again, she tore off the calendar page and read that day’s verse, which was, Genesis 50:21, and it reads, “I will nourish you and your little ones”. That day, surprisingly, two people appeared at her door with fresh goat’s milk and fresh eggs.

In the morning of January 19, 1941, again she tore off the calendar page and the verse for the new day was Psalm 56:9. It reads, “When I cry unto Thee, shall my enemies turn back.” The battle was looking closer and that night Margaret didn’t go to bed. Invasion was imminent. However, the next morning, January 20, 1941, in the place of the sounds of war all was quiet. The Japanese army was retreating. No one could understand it – The danger had passed!

Soon after that, the villagers began returning to the town. Margaret realized that through the calendar, she had been reading the handwritten message of the Lord to her. God had stood by her and proved Himself faithful.

We can always trust the faithfulness of God. He knows how to show up when we need Him most. As long as we remain connected to His Word, though we may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will emerge triumphant. As we keep looking into His Word, we will never suffer defeat or shame.

Psalm 34:5 says, ‘‘They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.’

The more we look to Jesus and sow the seed of His Word into our hearts, the more we will reap a harvest of blessings, miracles, signs and wonders. Looking into the Word imparts faith into our heart, which enables us to act with boldness, even in the face of contrary situations.

Faith in God made David to take a sling and go after Goliath, when the whole army of Israel was running away from him. Faith in God gives us the tenacity to withstand any trial and not run away from the battle. As long as you have faith, you will always overcome the world.

Through the shield of faith, we are able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. [Ephesians 6:16]. If you have taken the time to acquire faith through constant study of the Word of God, whenever you face challenges, the Holy Spirit will keep quickening Scriptures to your heart.

Isaiah 59:19 says when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of God will lift up a standard against him. The standard the Spirit lifts is the Word of God. When the light of God’s Word dominates our heart, we will always triumph over every plan of the enemy..

2 Corinthians 2:14 says: ‘Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place.’

Indeed, God deserves our thanksgiving and praise for always causing us to triumph. Whatever you may be facing today, be assured that God has destined you to emerge triumphant. Though it may seem as if Pharaoh and his army are bearing down on you, God has a plan to drown that Pharaoh in the red sea for your sake. No matter how fearful the battle, God is watching over you and organizing your rescue. He will certainly see you through and give you the victory at last.

Just keep praising and keep blessing Him for His faithfulness. As you do, He will certainly cause you to be more than a conqueror over every challenge.

PRAYER
Lord, please help me to always focus on Your Word and Your promises over my life. I know that You are in perfect control of every situation I may face and as I continue to praise You, You will exceed all my expectations in Jesus’ Name.

QUOTE
The treasures of God are never on the shallow end, but are always buried in the depth of God’s Word. It takes a personal discovery to get there. – WORDBITE 222

2 Chronicles 20:17
“Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.”

DAILY READING – Revelation 19; Isaiah 5-6; Psalm 109:20-31

On January 24, 1972, two hunters came across a man setting fishing traps in a river near Talofofo Falls in the island of Guam. The man was later identified as Shoichi Yokoi, a Japanese soldier who had been living in isolation in a self-made cave since World War II. He had no idea, when he was discovered that the war had ended decades ago.

Shoichi Yokoi was 26 years old when he was drafted into the Japanese Army in 1941 and sent to serve in Guam. At the time, the Japanese soldiers were taught that surrender was the worst possible fate for a soldier. So when U.S forces invaded Guam in 1944, Shoichi Yokoi and a number of other soldiers fled into the jungle to avoid surrendering and taken as prisoners of war.

For the next several years they lived in isolation in the forest, and made a shelter in a cave. They survived by eating animals, as well as fruits and nuts. As the years passed, his colleagues gradually died off and Shoichi Yokoi was left to live alone. In his memoirs, he wrote that he buried at least two of his comrades eight years before he was discovered.

His discovery on January 24, 1972 made headline news. Japanese government officials flew to Guam to help repatriate Shoichi Yokoi and he was flown back to his homeland, Japan, which he had not seen for nearly 30 years.

Amazingly, this man hid in the forest for 27 years because he had no idea that the war was over!
Likewise, spiritually, many people are living in fear and defeat because they have no idea that the battle is over.

Indeed, the battle is already over and won at Calvary. The warfare was accomplished over 2000 years ago. At the Cross, Jesus defeated the enemy and declared, ‘It is finished’.
Certainly, through the Blood of Jesus, it is finished with every battle in your life. It is finished with sicknesses, afflictions, addictions, poverty and every other harassment of the enemy. By the Blood of Jesus, you have the victory.

However, if a believer is isolated and separated from God’s Word, he will not know his battle is over. Many believers are still suffering in life because they lack the knowledge of their redemptive heritage. It is through understanding of God’s Word that we can live in the reality of the accomplished works of Christ and enforce His victory in our lives.

Spiritual ignorance robs people of their triumphant destiny. But through a close walk with God and understanding of His Word, we can live in dominion as overcomers.

In 2 Chronicles 20, when King Jehoshaphat was faced with a formidable military gang-up, he was afraid. However, when he took the time to seek God’s face, God told him that he did not need to fight in the battle. The battle was the Lord’s. Rather than fight, God asked Jehoshaphat and his army to switch to praise. And as they praised the Lord, He took over their battles and established their victory.

Likewise, the battle is not ours, it is the Lord’s.
Victory has been accomplished at the cross.
If you are faced with an intimidating situation today, simply engage God through praise and hand over your battles to Him. .
As you hold your peace and resort to praise, you will certainly see the salvation of the Lord.

PRAYER
Father, please grant me a renewed zeal and appetite for Your Word. Through faith in Your Word, I know I have certainly overcome the world. Indeed, through the power in Your Blood, my victory is established over every battle in Jesus’ Name.

QUOTE
For you to enjoy victory in the Kingdom of God, you need to develop a kingdom mind, that thinks in line with the Word of God. – WORDBITE 222.

Psalm 30:2-4 ‘ O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.’

DAILY READING Revelation 18; Isaiah 3-4; Psalm 109:1-19

Zhang Heng, is a Chinese pastor who was once an atheist.
He suffered long from an unspecified medical condition that left him paralysed. This made him to be in deep despair. As he lost hope of ever walking again he began to contemplate suicide.
However, in desperation he began to cry out to God for help even though he was an atheist.
God answered his cry and sent him a preacher who introduced him to Jesus. The preacher made him to understand that with God nothing is impossible and that God could heal him from his paralysed condition.
Indeed God miraculously healed Heng. One day, during prayers he suddenly found he could rise up and walk.
This miracle greatly shocked Heng’s family. It made the entire atheist family to receive Jesus as their Lord and personal savior.
Many more people in their community came to faith through Heng’s testimony. As the number of converts increased it led to the starting of a Church. In the next eight years, this gathering of believers grew into a movement that created 200 churches which attracted more than 20,000 converts. They started a nationwide network, sending people to different provinces to preach.
Today Zhang Heng is a senior pastor at Zaidao Church in Beijing China and a key Christian leader in China.

Just like God healed Pastor Heng, He is able to lift anyone up from the ground and to the topmost places in life.
It doesn’t matter how paralyzed any situation you may face, God is able to cause you to rise up and walk free into the glorious destiny He has ordained for you.

Indeed God is able to deliver from every form of disability, stagnation and redundancy.
Even in cases that may appear hopeless, God is able to intervene with such wonders that will cause men to ponder..

In John 11, it seemed as if Lazarus’ case was hopeless, yet Jesus showed up and did a resurrection miracle that brought great glory to God and caused many people to follow Christ.

Indeed God is able to turn situations around in our lives in such a way that men will marvel and follow us to serve our God.

We serve the God who specializes in impossibilities. He is able to do what no man can do in our lives.

Today, any condition that seems to be lame or stagnant in your life, be assured that God can cause it to resurrect. In that seemingly forgotten and closed case in your life, God will certainly bring divine restoration and renewal.

However, Praise will precede our victory. It is through praise that we are raised out of the pits and low places of life..
Therefore, in this season, as we praise God, let us be expectant of divine liftings. As we magnify Him, He will certainly elevate us to unimaginable heights.
Indeed as we offer high praises to God, He will certainly take us to our high places in destiny.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for lifting me from every form of stagnation and redundancy. As I praise You in this season, by Your grace, I shall certainly experience divine speed and acceleration in all my endeavors in Jesus Name.

QUOTE
God’s promises in Christ in your life may appear delayed, but never forget that delays are not denials. WORDBITE 222.

Psalms 28:7 – ‘The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.’

DAILY READING; Revelation 17; Isaiah 1-2; Psalm 108

On April 5, 2014, Pastor Leon Freitag received a death sentence. He was diagnosed with an incurable cancer and told he had just 12 to 18 months to live. According to his doctor, he had no hope of survival.
At that time Pastor Leon Freitag served in the U.S as superintendent of the North Dakota District Council of the Assemblies of God Church.
Pastor Freitag responded to the news of his cancer by committing himself to live out his faith in front of the people he served. He believed his case was only an opportunity for the congregation to witness the power of God.
Another specialist doctor confirmed that he had no hope of recovery but stated that, at best, chemotherapy might shrink the tumor by 40 percent.
Pastor Freitag was then scheduled for surgery on August 21, 2014 to remove the large and dangerous tumors.
During the pre-op exam, Pastor Freitag’s wife, witnessed to the doctors and nurses and told them “We’re praying people, and we believe that when the surgeon opens my husband up, that you’ll find that God was already there.”
Indeed just as she said, on the operating table, the specialist doctor discovered that the tumors had already shriveled up and died, the tumors had shrunk by 80 percent and the remaining cancerous tissue was dead.
The doctors were dumbfounded! In all of their years of practice they had never seen anything like that happen.
The same doctors who said he had no hope of recovery turned around to declare that Pastor Frietag was totally cancer-free.
His story amazed everyone and brought great glory to God.
As Pastor Freitag resumed his full ministry schedule, he used every opportunity to testify about the reality of God’s miracle-working power.

Psalms 28:7 says ‘The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.’

Indeed when our trust is in God, His divine help and intervention will always show up for us.
Even where there seems to be no way, God will arise to make a way.
Despite the verdict of the experts, God’s counsel over us is what will eventually stand.

Certainly, the assurance of God’s Word is our divine insurance in the face of any challenge.
We continually keep our focus on the Word, because therein lies the wonder-working Power of God.
No matter how hopeless any situation, God is able to intervene with His miracles and wonders and overturn things in our favor.

Confidence in God’s Word is what causes us to maintain our joy in every situation. We do not let life’s circumstances dictate the condition of our heart rather in everything, we keep blessing the Lord because He is too faithful to fail.
Happiness is a temporary and fickle feeling determined by happenings.
The word happiness comes from the old English word happ, which means “chance.” It corresponds to the Latin word fortuna, which means “luck.” Both words suggest that when things happen the way we want them to we’re happy, but when they don’t , we’re unhappy.
On the contrary, true joy is permanent and settled and never dampened by life’s circumstances.
As believers, our joy stems from our confidence in God’s deliverance ability.
Whatever may come, we are certain that God will always see us through.

We may be challenged, but we cannot be defeated because Christ causes us to triumph always (2 Corinthians 2:14).
Certainly, we have a victorious destiny in Christ:

In this season, just like God did for Pastor Frietag, He will indeed show up for us and give us the victory over every challenge in our health, finances, family etc. In the place of ashes, we are going to see beauty, favor, health, increase.
Therefore in every thing, let us keep thanking God for the manifestation of His wonder working power in our lives.. Let us praise Him continually and judge Him faithful under every circumstance.
Certainly, as we focus on giving God all the glory, He will surely change our story.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to always remain strong in faith and keep giving You all the praise because I know You are set to change my story. I thank You that in this season, You are indeed at work to reveal Your glory in my life in Jesus Name.

QUOTE
When God is on your side anything is possible. WORDBITE 201

James 1:2-3
‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.’

DAILY READING – Revelation 17; Isaiah 1-2; Psalm 108

Kathryn Kuhlman was converted when she was 14, at an evangelistic meeting held in a small Methodist Church in her hometown.

When she was 16 years, she graduated from high school. At that time, her older sister, Myrtle had married an itinerant evangelist named Everett B. Parrott. The couple spent their time traveling and preaching.

One summer they asked Kathryn to join them for the holiday and she went to Oregon to stay with them. She worked with them in the ministry and often gave her testimony during their meetings. When the summer was over, Kathryn wanted to stay on and the couple agreed. Kathryn ended up working with them for the next five years. As she travelled on preaching tours with her sister and brother-in-law, Kathryn came to realize that their marriage was not a happy one. They were under a lot of financial strains that was creating problems. Since the Parrots could not afford a maid, Kathryn decided to take over many of the household chores. Despite the tough situation, she did not complain but rather as she worked physically, she also used the time to grow in her spiritual walk with God. She spent much time reading and studying the Word and learned the basics of ministry through observing her sister and brother-in-law. And from what looked like a mess, God brought forth her message.

The years Kathryn spent with her sister and brother-in-law turned out to be years of learning and preparation that gave her a solid foundation for a global ministry that would greatly impact the world.

Years later, in many of her sermons, Kathryn would often refer to the lessons she learned in those early years as part of why she succeeded in ministry.

The things we pass through today often trains us to be stronger for our tomorrow. This is why James 1:2-6 tells us to consider it pure joy, whenever we face fiery trials. The fire is not meant to burn us but to purify us, so that after we have been tried we can come forth as gold.

Paul tells us to endure hardship as true soldiers of Christ. Though sometimes, outwardly it may seem we are perishing, yet inwardly, we are being renewed day by day. We are being strengthened, we are being made stronger. For our light and momentary afflictions are achieving for us a far more eternal weight of glory. [2 Corinthians 4:17].

In other words, after the trial, greater rewards are coming. After the tests come our testimonies. After the rain comes the sunshine. In all that we go through, God works behind the scenes to ensure that they all work out for our good. We are therefore encouraged not to become weary in well-doing, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Many of the things we pass through in life are training us for our reigning. A season of spiritual preparation must precede the season of manifestation or outward prominence.

In the life of David for instance, we saw how God first prepared him before taking him to greatness. It was in the bush, in a time of worshipping God in secret that he was prepared for the throne.

Indeed, a season of hidden spiritual preparation is crucial to our outward manifestation. Our seasons of preparation will involve times of separation spent in prayer, fasting studying the Word and worshipping the Lord.

Certainly, our depth in God will determine the height we can attain in life. Therefore, let us learn to release ourselves to God to train and prepare us as He deems fit. Our concern should be ensuring we are in His perfect will at all times.

Men may exclaim in wonder at you when God finally unveils you, but then they didn’t see the hidden places of preparation where God trained you. Therefore, in every situation, let us learn to count it all joy, and keep praising the Lord at all times, because He is faithful to do what He has said He will do in our lives. Though weeping may have endured for a night, surely your joy is coming in the morning. Despite what may look like a difficult situation today, one day you will look back and be grateful for every lesson you learned along the way.

PRAYER
Lord, I thank You for turning my mourning into joy and dancing for me. Lord, please grant me the grace to persevere and submit to the seasons of preparations You bring me into for I know that in due season Your glory shall be revealed in me in Jesus’ name.

QUOTE
Everything that ultimately has a glorious ending usually has a humble beginning. – WORDBITE 222

Hebrews 11:6
‘But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.’

DAILY READING – Revelation 16; Esther 9-10; Psalm 107:23-43

As the first Baptist missionary of the modern era, William Carey arrived in India in November 1793. However, he faced a lot of challenges because he did not have sufficient funds.

Carey was forced to move his family repeatedly as he sought employment that could sustain them. As hardship racked his family, he wrote; “I am in a strange land, no Christian friend, a large family, and nothing to supply their wants.” But he also retained hope: “Well, I have God, and His word is sure.’

Due to their harsh living conditions, Carey and his wife eventually lost three of their small children. His wife was devastated, unable to cope, she progressively became invalid. “This is indeed the valley of the shadow of death to me,” Carrey wrote, “But I rejoice that I am here notwithstanding; and God is here.”

Certainly God was with William Carrey. Though his ministry started out with many challenges, eventually he began to reap the fruit of his labor. After the first seven fruitless years of his mission, in December 1800, Carey baptized his first convert. Two months later, he published his first Bengali New Testament. Carey formed a team that translated the Bible to 34 Asian languages, compiled dictionaries, started an influential College; began Churches and established 19 mission stations; formed 100 rural schools; started the Horticultural Society of India, printed the first Indian newspaper; and introduced the concept of the savings bank to assist poor farmers, etc. Carey’s fight against the burning of widows helped lead to its ban in 1829.

Despite all the challenges he initially faced, Carey eventually spent 41 years in India and made a great impact with the Gospel there. His greatest legacy was in the worldwide missionary movement of the nineteenth century that he inspired. Missionaries like Adoniram Judson, Hudson Taylor, and David Livingstone, among thousands of others,

Hebrews 11:6 says that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Indeed, we must persist in faith, if we want to reap the reward of our labor.
Many of life’s failures are people who gave up before their harvest came. There is a due season for reaping, and we must not faint if we are to access that season.

God has an appointed time for each season of our lives. He is working with a master plan. When we trust Him, we will be patient to wait until our appointed season of harvest comes.

Despite his many challenges, Joseph did not faint nor grew weary, he waited until his appointed time came. Moses could have given up after 40 years of staying at the backside of the desert, but he persisted until his appointed season came. We don’t have to run ahead of God. We must understand that God relates to us according to the times and seasons of life. He has the script to our lives’ drama. Therefore in each season, we wait for His timing and prompting. Our responsibility is to ensure that we are cooperating with His Spirit to follow His perfect will for our lives.

Therefore, no matter the situation you may face today, always understand that there is coming a reaping season. Your labor cannot be in vain. And if you do not faint, surely in due season, you shall reap.

God is in control, your promotion comes only from Him, and not from men! Though things may not initially seem to work the way you thought, as you abide faithful and persist in faith, God will exalt you in due season. It is only a matter of time!

Do not compromise your faith and refuse to grow weary in well doing. Remain prayerful, keep honoring God and remain obedient to His Word. Certainly your time is coming. God is a rewarder and as you continue to bless Him in every situation, soon you will reap a bountiful harvest of all your labor. .

PRAYER
Lord, please grant me the grace to persist in faith through diligent study of Your Word and never become weary in well doing. Certainly, I know my reaping season is coming. Please help me to remain obedient to Your Word and never to compromise as I await Your appointed seasons of harvest for me in Jesus’ Name.

QUOTE
The study of the Word will keep shame and disgrace far from you. – WORDBITE 222