Philippians 4:6,7  “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God…shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”.

DAILY READING       Acts 5:17-42; Deuteronomy 25-27; Job 16

Thanksgiving is a  National holiday in the United States, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It is a day well known for eating lavishly and celebrations. For instance during Thanksgiving of 2010, around 46 million turkeys were eaten in the US. That’s around one fifth of all the turkeys eaten for the entire year. It is also a period of lavish shopping. The day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. It is the biggest shopping day of the year.

However though widely celebrated by Americans today it was  a day that originated out of the sacrifice of praise.  The founding fathers of the American Nation had suffered a great tragedy, yet despite their pain they decided to give God thanks.

It all started in the 1500’s when England broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and created a new church called the Church of England. .The King controlled the Church of England, and ordered that everyone in England had to belong to this church. Anyone who dared to disobey would be sent to jail. However, a group of people in England known as the Puritans., wanted to pray and worship God in their own way.  Of this group, 102 pilgrims, not wanting to adhere, preferring to practice religious freedom decided to leave England and start a settlement of their own.  So the Pilgrims set sail on a ship called the Mayflower in September 1620. They landed in Plymouth after their long six-week journey on December 11, 1620. After a prayer service, the Pilgrims began building hasty shelters. However, they were unprepared for the harsh New England winter. As a result, half of them, about 50, died from sickness and starvation. Although their hearts were still heavy from these losses, they remained grateful and thankful to God.  The first thanksgiving was held by these pilgrims, in a show of gratitude to God for the bountiful harvest God gave them. They called together their Indian neighbors, and spent 3 days in celebration praising God. And year after year it became a tradition to set apart a particular day of praising God for His faithfulness. And God showed these pilgrims many miracles to prove He was with them. When they lost 50 members of their community and chose to keep praising God, today, God has multiplied that little group into the great American nation that exists today. And ever since the thanksgiving event has become entrenched in the American tradition. In 1941 President Franklin Roosevelt made Thanksgiving a national holiday.

Philippians 4:6,7 which exhorts us to “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God…shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

There was no way those pilgrims could have seen the greatness of the future generation, but when they gave thanks to God despite their loss, God brought amazing multiplication. It doesn’t matter what you think you may have lost, when you thank God for what is left he will surely multiply it beyond your wildest expectation.  A wise man said if you have lost anything God is the reason why you have not lost everything. So let’s thank God for what is available. When you thank God for His finger, He will unveil His arm for you. Thanksgiving is a multiplier.

To feed five thousand men, Jesus had just five loaves and two fishes, but when He lifted up the little that was available in thanksgiving to God,  great multiplication came.

Do not let any situation rob you of your thanksgiving. When the one leper came back to thank Jesus, his healing was perfected.

In everything give thanks. When we trust God we thank Him in everything. We trust that He is working our everything for our good.

Ephesians 5:20 says  “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”.

In everything we give Him thanks. In every situation we give Him thanks.  We do not look at what is happening we look at what is written. And it is written that everything works out together for good for those that love God, do you love Him? then praise Him and it will all work out for your good.

Yes, you can be in the storm, but don’t let the storm get in you, don’t let the happenings around tamper with the joy in your heart. But when you praise God, He will raise you out of the valley. He will turn your mourning into dancing. He will turn your darkness into light. Be radical. Praise God even in the storm. If you can do the ridiculous, you will see the miraculous.

Like the American pilgrims do not look at what you may have lost, rather bless God for what you still have, and he will multiply that remnant beyond your wildest imaginations.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to praise you despite any situation, let nothing ever stop the continual flow of your praise from my mouth. You are forever faithful and I know that indeed all things are working out together for my good in Jesus Name.   

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Praise always guarantees you power for a raise, learning to praise God in season and out of season is key to fulfilling destiny. – WORDBITE 222.

Psalm 34:1 KJV

I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

DAILY READING Acts 5:1-16; Deuteronomy 23-24; Job 15

It is said that your attitude determines your aptitude. 

Viktor Frankl is the author of the book “Man’s Search for Meaning.”  In it he tells of his experiences as an inmate in several of the Nazi death camps during WWII. On 19 October 1944, Frankl was captured with his family and transported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. The Nazis killed his family in front of him. They cut off his wedding band from his finger, he was tortured and worked to exhaustion. Later he was moved to Kaufering, a camp affiliated with Dachau, on 25 October, where he spent five months working as a slave laborer. In March 1945, he was moved to Türkheim, also affiliated with Dachau, where he worked until 27 April 1945, when the camp was liberated by American soldiers. Frankl’s wife mother, and brother were all  murdered at the concentration camps. However Victor instead of becoming bitter decided to become better. Out of his pain and loss, out of the hell of it all, he came away with a deeper faith in God and, ironically, in humanity. When asked how he handled his ordeal in the worst place his response was this: ‘Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: To choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s way’

Indeed one of the greatest limiters or greatest releasers in life is simply your attitude. Ultimately the difference between winners and losers, is the way they view setbacks and adversities. Losers see setback as the end of the road, but winners see it as a bend in the road. 

The Bible says in Proverbs  23:7; “For as a man thinks in his heart, so he is…”

We really do have a choice about our attitude.  Like the Israelites, after God took them out of Egypt and into the Wilderness, we can be critical and complain about everything that happens to us.  Or we can look on the positive side with an attitude of faith that the God who parted the Red Sea is still at work in the world.

The Israelites got really tired of quail and manna after they had tried Manna Soup, Manna & Quail Casserole, Quail & Manna Casserole, Hot & Spicy Shredded Manna, Baked Quail with Sour Manna Sauce, and Sweet & Sour Manna.  They got tired and complained of the same food every day, but they had the wrong attitude.  They forgot about their life of slavery in Egypt, how bad things had been until God brought deliverance. No matter where we find ourselves in life we should always realize it could have been worse without God’s help. And rather than complain we should make it a habit to praise God in everything, no matter the situation.  

1 Thessalonians 5:16 says we should rejoice evermore. In everything we should give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us.

We need to discipline ourselves to find something in every situation to be thankful to God for.

Psalm 92:1-2 reads, “It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.” This means we are to praise and thank God day and night. Philippians 4:6 says we are to do everything with prayer and thanksgiving.

 Every morning thank God for the day before, praise Him for today and what He is going to do. David committed himself to praise God at all times no matter the situation.  David knew how to celebrate God in season and out of season. And so should you! David recognized that by praising God, you make room for Him to come and change the situation and turn it all around to your favor. Because all things work together for good to them that love Him, and they that love Him are those that praise Him. God is God and He is good all the time!

If you are going through a bad situation, go into clamorous praise. It is no time for you to complain or murmur, rather  it is time for you to praise  God so that He can step into your situation. And when God appears every devil must disappear. So turn up the volume of your praise! God is still on the throne, He reigns even in that situations and He is more than able to turn everything around for your good. Give Him the Praise and watch Him work your miracle!

PRAYER: Lord, I really thank You for Your continual faithfulness to me. You are always good all the time and no matter what happens around me, Please grant me the grace to always give You worthy praise in Jesus Name. .

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Your attitude always determines your altitude in life. –WORDBITE 222.

Romans 8:18  ‘For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

DAILY READING – Acts 4:23-37; Deuteronomy 21-22; Job 14

The California Gold rush was the most famous gold rush in American history. It all began on January 24, 1848, when a man named James W. Marshall while building a sawmill saw something glitter in a nearby creek. When he went to check the glittering, to his greatest surprise he discovered nuggets of gold. And though he tried to keep the news secret, the story of his gold discovery soon began to spread. People in other towns hearing the story began to rush to California hoping to discover gold too and strike it rich. This marked the beginning of the California Gold Rush. The sparsely populated town soon saw an influx of about 300,000 people. Roads, churches, schools and other towns were built throughout California. And in a few months, on September 1850., the sudden population increase caused the town of California, to become elevated to a state.

It is indeed amazing how the discovery of gold suddenly transformed  California.  Throughout history, gold together with silver have been highly sought after. However, the process of refining silver and gold to become valuable metals is not easy. It involves putting the metals through intense heat that literally burns and consumes all the impurities in them. In refining silver for example, the silver smith, keeps the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames are hottest so as to burn away all the impurities. He knows the silver is ready when he heats it to the point where he can see his reflection in the metal.

Likewise God often allows us to pass through processes where we are refined and purified until the image of Christ is reflected in us.

1 Peter 1:6–7 says “Now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold, which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Though  the enemy may  bring trials and temptations, God still causes it all to work out together for our good. Life is in phases and seasons. There are times it may feel as if  we are in the fiery furnace. But whatever we go through, we should know that it is all for a reason and it will last only for a season. And the end result should always culminate in praise to God. The Bible says that, Jesus for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross. The same way, we should be joyful even in the midst of trials knowing that the end result is for glory to be revealed in and through us.

Romans 8:18 says “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

And 1 Peter 4:12-13 says  “ Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trail which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”

We should praise God at all times.  Sing in the midst of your stress. Celebrate God in the face of trials. The battle is not yours, but The Lords. Shout Hallelujah, for your God is mighty. Never forget His benefits. God has indeed done great and mighty things for us this year, when we look back and deliberately count our blessings we will be amazed. Therefore in everything lets keep praising God. In the midst of high praises, God causes us to ride upon our high places.

PRAYER: Lord,  I know that You are good and You have indeed done all things well for me. Therefore, let nothing ever stop the continual flow of Your praise from my mouth  now and forever in Jesus Name.    

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Praise always guarantees you power for a raise, learning to praise God in season and out of season is key to fulfilling destiny. – WORDBITE 222.

Philippians 1:6 ‘Being confident of this very that thing He which hath begun a good work in you , will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.’

DAILY READING •          Acts 4:1-22; Deuteronomy 19-20; Job 13

Eric Liddell, often called the “Flying Scotsman” was the fastest runner in Scotland in the 1920’s. Born to China-based  Scottish missionary parents, he was a devoted Christian who not only persevered in athletics but also in the race of faith. While still a student at the University of Edinburgh, he became well known for being the fastest runner in Scotland. Newspapers carried stories of his feats at track events.

With his amazing performance during races, it soon became obvious that he was divinely helped. One of such remarkable incidences of divine help was a race that took place in England on July 1923. This race was a 440-yard race between runners from England, Ireland, and Scotland. At the start of the race, as the runners took their first bend, an athlete from England, J. J. Gillies tripped Eric Liddel, who fell to the grass. Gillies quickly took the lead. As Eric sat forlornly on the ground, with other runners quickly passing him, he was tempted to give up. Indeed for a moment it seemed as if the race was over for Eric. It seemed he could never catch up with the others. As he got back on his feet the last of the other runners was 30 yards away and moving fast.  However, despite the discouraging situation, Eric decided to trust God for a miracle, and so he lifted up himself and ran with all his might. He attacked with such pace that he finally overtook Gillies, who was in the first position. Amazingly, Eric took the lead, crossed the finish line two yards ahead of everyone else and won the race. Eric’s win in this race was considered by many as the greatest track performance ever seen in the history of athletics in Scotland. The media reported it as bordering on the miraculous.

Galatians 6:9 says ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.’

As we run the race of life there may be times we may feel faint and be tempted to give up. Challenges can seem sometimes to overwhelm and discourage us. But then we must never forget that it is he that endures to the end that will reap. Enduring to the end is where the work really is. Starting sometimes, may be easy, but staying on to the finishing is what can be difficult. Anyone can have a dream but it takes perseverance to see it come to pass. Thus the question often  is not ‘will you start, but will you finish?’

When we are hit by setbacks in the race of life, we can get discouraged. However God has not only given us the grace to start, but He has also given us the grace to finish. He is called the author and finisher of our faith. We must therefore constantly remind ourselves  that we are not created to give up or quit – but to finish. No matter the discouragement, do not give up, do not give in. Keep moving forward  in faith. God, the finisher of our faith, has furnished you with finishing grace. Tap  into it and decide never to give up. If you don’t quit you will surely win.

Indeed you can do all things through Christ that strengthens you. Tap into the finishing grace, by daily receiving strength from the Word of God. There is power in The Word to propel and move you forward. The race may not be easy, but you are not running by power or by might, but by the empowerment of The Spirit of The Lord. Therefore shake off self-pity and believe that He that has begun this good work in you is able to perfect it. God who helped you to start, will also help you to finish.

Indeed you have the grace to finish, therefore never accept defeat. Challenges will come, but that shouldn’t stop you. Oftentimes opposition is an indication you’re moving ahead, because progress gets the enemy’s attention.

No matter how tough the race may seem right now, keep pressing forward. Do not quit, do not give up. Surely there is an end, and your expectations will not be cut off. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. [Phil 1:6]. He will surely see you through. His grace to finish well and finish strong has been released to you. Receive it in Jesus name!

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to trust you with the journey of my life, no matter how I feel, may I always endure to the end. May I never stop my journey halfway, may I persist until I reach my goal in Jesus Name.   

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The Treasures of God are never in the shallow end, but always buried in the depths of God’s Word. – WORDBITE 222

Zechariah 9:11 ‘ As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;

‘DAILY READING       Acts 3; Deuteronomy 17-18; Job 12

Joel Osteen is the pastor of the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, which has one of the largest congregations in the United States. He once told the story of how his father, John Osteen who was the founding pastor, gained victory by the Blood.

At the early stage of the ministry Pastor John Osteen used to travel overseas on evangelism. However at one time he noticed that the enemy began to attack his overseas evangelistic efforts.  At that time he had five kids all under the age of 12. And every time he was about to leave on a trip, invariably one of the kids would get sick. For weeks everything would be fine but as soon as he started packing up to travel, a child would come down with a cold or perhaps get hurt playing. One time, when he was about to go on a major trip, one of his sons was jumping up and down on his bed and suddenly fell backwards and hit the headboard, knocking himself out, and sustaining a big gash on the head that required stitching. It soon became obvious that the enemy was trying to keep Pastor John Osteen from ever preaching overseas. He became quite frustrated, wondering why his own family would start falling apart each time he tried to take the Gospel to the world. One day he finally  decided enough was enough. He knew there was power in the Blood of Jesus to halt demonic attacks and so he decided to apply it. The next time he was about to travel and one of his children fell ill, this time, he asked all his kids to come outside. He lined them up from the oldest to the youngest, and got infront of them and said, “I want you to follow me and say what I say”. He started marching them around the perimeter of their property, saying, “We plead the blood, we plead the blood”. Though the children were embarrassed because neighbors were looking at them and cars driving by were honking, Pastor John Osteen  didn’t seem to mind. He was determined to gain victory by the Blood. And after pleading the Blood around his home, amazingly from that day forward when he traveled none of the children ever got sick, or got hurt.

Revelation 12:11 says, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.”

Pastor John Osteen overcame the enemy through knowledge of the power in the Blood of Jesus. We may not need to march our children around our compounds, but the point to be gained is that there is power in the Blood of Jesus to arrest any demonic attack. We are in a warfare and there is an enemy who is doing all he can to stop you from going forward, he is going about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. You must therefore know how to attack back with the spiritual weapons available to you. Our ultimate weapon in this war is the blood of Jesus. At the cross Christ paid ultimately with His blood for our deliverance, therefore affliction is not permitted to arise a second time anywhere in your life.! You have the victory by the blood!

Zechariah 9:11 says ‘As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water’

Through the Blood of Jesus you have been delivered from every satanic imprisonment. Through the blood we have been ushered into our year of Jubilee and freedom. When Jesus declared ‘it is finished’ at Calvary it truly means it is finished. Indeed it is finished with sickness, diseases, poverty, ill fortune and every demonic assault in your life. You now have the ticket to rudely walk out on the devil. But what you do not know you can not own. The Mystery of the Blood Covenant is a Kingdom secret that guarantees our mastery over life circumstances. To take maximum delivery of this benefit we must know it, believe it and put it to work..

God says in Hosea 4:6 ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge’

We must therefore go for knowledge. It is time to seek for a personal revelation from God’s Word of the benefits of the blood of Jesus. There is no situation you face today that cannot be handled by the blood of Jesus, but the key to your victory is knowledge. Certainly when you know the truth, you shall be set free.

PRAYER: Lord, Please grant me a deeper revelation of the power available to me through the Blood of Jesus. By the Power in the blood I declare my deliverance today over every form of demonic harassment. Truly by the Blood I have total victory in Jesus Name.

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Your heart needs to be filled with The Word of God to the point of overflow. – WORDBITE 222

2 Corinthians 3:18 ‘But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the LORD, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the LORD.’

• DAILY READING       Acts 2:14-47; Deuteronomy 15-16; Job 11

George Frideric Handel is one of the greatest musicians in the history of the world. Born in the 18th century, he achieved early success in his  musical career. He quickly found fame, favor, and fortune, especially among royalty and noblemen. He fared so well that by the age of 32, he had become a very famous composer.  But years later, he experienced a change of fortune. By 1741 at the age of 56 Handel found himself in great debt and plagued by  health challenges, He had a cerebral hemorrhage and was paralyzed on his right side, so that for four years he could neither walk nor write. The doctor who treated him said, “We may save the man—but the musician is lost forever. It seems to me that his brain has been permanently injured.”

Though Handel later recovered from the sickness, he thought his musical career  was finished  and so he scheduled a “farewell” appearance in London in April. He was set to bid a final farewell to music. However before then miraculously, God gave him a change of story. At that time Handel was challenged by a friend to begin a new musical work which detailed the life of Jesus Christ from His birth and ministry to His crucifixion and resurrection.  Following a season of prayer and reading the Scriptures  Handel began work on this new music. He worked frantically, and after  24 days of near constant writing, he completed a 260-page oratorio, which he titled ‘Messiah’. At its debut performance, this music received rave reviews and exceeded expectations. It would quickly become the most widely performed musical in the  world. And to this day thousands of performances of the ‘Messiah’ are heard each year during the holiday season. Indeed at a time when Handel thought it was over, God visited him and gave him a change of story.

Psalm 30:5 says ‘For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning’

Though you may have wept in the night, your joy is coming. Indeed it is never over until God says so. No matter the situation God alone always has the final say. And when God is in your corner, nothing can be a barrier to your triumphant comeback.  Understand that God has ordained His people to be on top of the affairs of this world. Therefore whatever setback you suffer at any time is only temporary. Sometimes to scale a high jump you take a few steps backwards. And many times what looks like a setback is only a set up for a glorious comeback. Indeed as long as you are seeking and serving God, you are destined to end in glory. However, it takes transformation to reach your peak.

2 Corinthians 3:18 says ‘But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the LORD, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the LORD.’

To be informed is to be transformed. The more we look into The Word of God, the more we are transformed from glory to glory. Indeed if you will diligently hearken to the Word of God, and obey scriptural instructions, you are bound to end in glory.  Though the odds may seem against you, God is not moved by the odds. God controls the universe. And when God is for you, nothing can be against you. God likes to overturn the expectations of your enemies so that they can know there is a God in Heaven who rules in the affairs of men.  Though men may have mocked you, God will turn your mockers to become your workers. God did it for Joseph, suddenly placing him above Potiphar and his wife.

Therefore decide today, to trust God for His divine visitation in your situation. Surely, there is an end and thine expectation shall not be cut short.  What men meant for evil God will turn it around for your good. Where you were meant to stumble, God will cause you to soar. He will lift you up, He will give you beauty for ashes and turn your test into your testimony.

PRAYER: Lord, Please help me to always know that with You nothing is impossible. Help me never to limit You. in my thinking.  Grant me the faith to believe for the impossible in my life, because indeed you can do all things for me in Jesus Name. 

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

Psalms 67:5-7  ‘ Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

 DAILY READING – •           Acts 2:1-13; Deuteronomy 13-14; Job 10

 In December 1997 Newsweek magazine carried the fascinating story of Karen Hartley, who was lost in a snowy night, but survived from freezing to death through dancing all through the night. On 24^th December 1997, during a skiing trip, 32 years old Karen skied out of bounds at the ski resort where she was holidaying and became trapped in a gully.  Her husband noticing her prolonged absence reported her missing just before 8 p.m that day. Immediately search crews went out to look for her and combed the region  searching for her. However, High winds erased any tracks that could have led them to finding her. Though the crew searched frantically, eventually the bad weather forced a halt in the search. And so  that Christmas eve, Karen found herself stranded and alone in the snow. As the darkness and cold of night descended, she wondered how she would survive the freezing cold night. What came to her was to dance so as to keep warm. And so Karen stayed under a large tree for shelter, and spent that Christmas Eve night in frigid temperatures singing Christmas carols and dancing throughout the night. Though she felt very weak and tired and several times wanted to curl up into a fetal position to rest or sleep, however she knew doing that would have caused her to freeze to death. So, instead, she chose to dance all night.   The decision to keep singing and dancing saved her from freezing to death. And early Thursday morning, on Christmas day  Rescue helicopters spotted her in the steep gully, and she was rescued.

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas found themselves in such cold night season. They found themselves surrounded by obstacles. Rather than lie down in sorrow and despair they decided to sing praises to God in the midst of their trouble. As they focused on God’s glory and greatness, God came in His might and power and rescued them. They would have given into complaints and depression rather they chose to sing and praise God despite their situation.

Perhaps despite  the many wonderful prophesies spoken over you this year,  you are yet to see the full fulfillment of those prophesies. Or perhaps instead of the promised blessings you have found yourself rather in a contrary situation that looks like a cold and night season. Well, you have a choice you could chose to lie down in sorrow to become depressed and oppressed or you could switch to praise and dancing for a speedy rescue and forceful turnaround.

It will take praise for the earth to yield any harvest. Psalms 67:5-7 says ‘Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase’

Praise is the platform through which God intervenes in the affairs of our lives. To see prophecies fulfilled without sweat and to secure God’s presence, we must engage in praise as a lifestyle, God will only come down in response to our praises. That means, to experience full delivery of prophecies we must engage in praise warfare. (Psalm 22:3).

As the year is about to round up, any unfulfilled prophesy can still be brought to speedy fulfillment and manifestation through praise. To enforce our harvest and experience a forceful turnaround, praise is the sickle. Every seed delivers on praise.

Therefore instead of dwelling on negative thoughts, turn up your praise. Learn to bless God at all times. When you learn to give God praise in the cold and night seasons of life, your victory is sure. It doesn’t matter how big that obstacle is, you and God are a majority. He will always cause you to triumph!  If you’ll dig your heels in and offer up that sacrifice of praise, God promises He will show up for your rescue. No matter how cold or dark the night, through praise you are coming out of every pit, you are coming out victorious. As you engage the weapon of high praises to secure God’s presence into your circumstances,  every mourning shall be turned into dancing for you in Jesus Name!

PRAYER: Father I thank You for granting me amazing testimonies as I engage the sickle of praise for the speedy delivery of my harvest. Every word of prophesy spoken over me this year must find speedy fulfilment 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: 11  KJV  ‘Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;’

DAILY READING – Acts 1; Deuteronomy 11-12; Job 9

In 1962, Victor and Mildred Goertzel published a revealing study of 413 “famous and exceptionally gifted people” called Cradles of Eminence. They spent years attempting to understand what produced such greatness, what common thread might run through all of these outstanding people’s lives.  Surprisingly, the most outstanding fact was that virtually all of them, 392, had to overcome very difficult obstacles in order to become who they were.

The truth is that adversity is a fact of life. And challenges often prepare us for the next level. Warriors are made from wars and champions come from challenges. Don’t expect to stroll to the throne God has prepared for you, there are always giants on the road to Canaan, so be ready to do battle. Obstacles are part of every success story therefore we must decide how to react to them. Instead of complaining we can react with thanksgiving, knowing that God is causing all things to work together for our good. When we trust God, what may initially appear as obstacles end up becoming stepping stones to greater heights in life.

The truth is that Challenges always come at the point of growth or moving to a new level. Tests often come before testimonies. Many times when you are about to soar to the next level God will allow you to receive an ‘examination’. This is to prepare you to handle that new height. Because each level comes with new devils, and you must be prepared beforehand to overcome, so that what was meant to become your throne does not become your tomb.

 So the challenges you are facing now may just mean you are about to go higher. Perhaps you are at the very edge of your promotion, so don’t be discouraged, don’t waver. Rather see every challenge as an opportunity to draw closer to God. Life is a continuous succession of both small and large challenges. It seems no sooner you get control of one situation than another comes along. But yet all these challenges come to make us stronger to prepare us for the heights we are destined to attain. Adversity pushes us to accelerate the development of our greatest potential. Without adversity there will be no growth.

So if challenges come, see them as opportunities for rising, trusting That God is too faithful to allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to handle.

Psalm 30: 11  says  ‘Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;’

Indeed God is about to turn your mourning into dancing. Weeping may have endured through your night season but now the morning has come for you with joy! Believe God for a total turn around and change of story. Never forget that we are serving the God of all possibilities to whom nothing is impossible. What He did before He can do again. What He did for Esther, Joseph, David, Daniel in giving them a change of story, He will do same for you.  Indeed  God is about to raise you. He is about to turn your trials to triumph. Surely as you praise God today, He will cause you to soar to greater heights.    

PRAYER: Father please grant me the grace and strength to overcome every trial and temptation. I thank You that even right now every stumbling block has been turned into stepping stones for me in Jesus name.

quote :

To get into the next level of your life, God will always give a specific instruction. – WORDBITE 222.

Hebrews 12:1

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us..

DAILY READING –   Matthew 28; Deuteronomy 9-10; Job 8

Having the proper attire is crucial for a marathon race. For comfort and performance, having the right gear is very important. In such a long race wearing even the wrong fabrics can cause chafing and blisters, which can cause discomfort, distract you and negatively affect your performance. Also carrying extra weight during a race will hinder and slow down your movement. Therefore good, proper running gear is very important. It’s a long race and you don’t need anything to distract or slow you down.

The race of life is similar, you don’t need weights and distractions, Rather you need to run focusing on the Word of God. It is a race we run with patience.  And patience means waiting upon The Lord, to hear from Him before we take any significant step. We do not rush into battles or quickly take rash decisions, we first of all patiently wait upon The Lord to hear what He will say to us. And as we hear, we then take actions.

Jesus said in John 5:30 ‘I can of my own self do nothing as I hear I judge’.

For us to run successfully the race of life, we must learn to wait upon God to receive His guidance. Those who lack the patience to wait in The Word and hear the next instruction are prone to run into ditches in life. But divine instruction delivers from death and destruction.  Not every open door is for you. Hear first what God is saying before you make a move. Some so called ‘open doors’ could be traps in disguise. So depending only on your physical senses and your wisdom is not enough to guarantee you will not fall into a trap. Do not be in a hurry, take time to seek God.   Depend on the guidance of The Holy Spirit, He is The one who knows the end from the beginning and is able to search out the secrets of men’s hearts. Let Him guide you in all your decisions, and as you follow His guidance you can be sure you will end well in this race of life. .

PRAYER:  Lord please grant me the patience to wait upon you so as to receive instructions on what next to do. Please enable me to always adhere to scriptural instructions as I run this race of life in Jesus Name. 

 quote

To get into the next level of your life, God will always give you a specific instruction. – WORDBITE 222.

II Chronicles 20:12 ‘For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee”

DAILY READING –Matthew 27:32-66; Deuteronomy 7-8; Job 7

Kenneth Hagin was born with a deformed heart and an incurable blood disease. He was so sickly as a child that doctors said due to his illness he was not expected to live long. And so Kenneth Hagin began to prepare early for Heaven. As a child he made his commitment to Christ and was baptized with water.  And by age nine he thought he had done all that was necessary to get him a place in heaven. At age 15, he became bedridden. A couple  of years later, in April 1933 he had a dramatic conversion experience, dying three times in 10 minutes, each time seeing the horrors of hell and then returning to life. However, on August 8, 1934 he was miraculously raised from his deathbed by the Power of God based on  the revelation of faith in God’s Word.  Two years later he preached his first sermon as the pastor of a small community church in Roland, Texas. And going on from there he would eventually  become a well known preacher and head an international ministry that spanned the globe.

It is indeed amazing how God marvelously turned Kenneth Hagin’s life around. With all the challenges lined up against Kenneth Hagin, even from birth, no one would have ever thought he could have risen to the great height he did in life and ministry. But he succeeded by God’s help despite the odds against him.  Indeed there is no opposition that can hinder a man who is being helped by God.

The story of man is battle from the womb to the tomb, from the cradle to the grave. This is why we need the help of God every inch of the way. . Many people, called to achieve great things, failed simply due to failure to acknowledge divine help, thinking they could achieve success on their own, they underestimated the greatness of the opposition against man. Indeed we need divine help to make it in life. And one way to engage divine help is through praise.

When King Jehoshaphat was faced with a  battle greater than him, he engaged divine help through praise. In II Chronicles 20:12 he prayed ‘For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee”

And when they tuned to praise, God took over their battles and gave them victory. Praise is the spiritual medium through which God takes over our battles. When the battles of life look stronger than your strength, learn to hand things over to God through praise. Praise stirs God into action. Praise provokes God’s Presence. And God’s presence is our only ark of safety. Proverbs 18:10 tells us that The name of The Lord is a strong tower, which the righteous run into and are safe.  In the journey of life we need to continually shelter in the strong tower of God’s Presence. We need to continually engage divine Presence through praise so that by God’s help we can eventually arrive at our glorious destiny.

Perhaps, as a believer you have been trying your best to succeed and things have not worked the way you anticipated. Well, today, it doesn’t matter what may have been hindering your progress or the forces arrayed against you, you can forcefully turn things around through high praises. Through praise you can hand your battles over to God! And when God takes over, it is a walkover. As you engage in clamorous praise today, you will provoke God’s manifold presence that will deliver your desired victory to you in Jesus Name.

PRAYER: Lord, Please help me to maintain a praise-full lifestyle, so that I can engage your help to overcome the oppositions against me. I know that with Your help every opposition against my glorious destiny has been silenced forever in Jesus Name. 

QUOTE

When we fight by God’s help we are sure of victory.    WORDBITE 222.