Psalms 126:1KJV

When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.   Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.

• DAILY READING –   – Matthew 22:23-46; Numbers 22:1-40; Song of Solomon 2:8-3:5

On June 7, during the 1967 war., Israeli forces having defeated Jordanian forces  had captured eastern Jerusalem. Within six days. of the war, Israel captured not only Jerusalem but also took the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, part of the Golan Heights from Syria and the West Bank from Jordan.  Israel’s victory was a miracle. According to minutes of the Ministerial Committee on National Security released by the Israel State Archives, even those leading the country were shocked by Israel’s  victory. For many Israelis, the most important achievement was gaining control of Jerusalem and reuniting the two sides of the city.

Indeed for the first troop of Israeli soldiers to march into Jerusalem it was like a dream. For the first time in 2000 years  Israel had repossessed Jerusalem. And for the first time in that many years Jews finally could  have access into the city. And with the Old City in Israel’s possession, Jews could once again pray at one of their holiest sites: the Western Wall.

Jerusalem was the pride, the capital of the Jewish nation And after having been denied access for thousands of years, it was indeed a historical and very emotional moment for the Jewish nation to once again have possession of Jerusalem.

To Jews all over the world, it was a joyous moment. Many considered it a gift from God. The longing for Jerusalem is a deep yearning that beats within the Jewish heart.. Many of the soldiers who first entered Jerusalem clung to the western wall as if their lives depended on it.  Many of their eyes were red with tears.  The dream of possessing Jerusalem had seemed almost impossible, but the Jews never gave up. They knew from the prophesy of Ezekiel that Jerusalem would be back to the Jews one day. In the 1948 war with the Arabs they failed to capture Jerusalem, but that didn’t stop them. They kept on believing, kept on reminding God of His promise until it finally came to pass.

Psalm 126:1 says ”When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.   Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.’

Just like the Jews who never gave up on their dream, let us keep pressing in with our desire before God.  Let us not be weary, there is coming a due season, a reaping season.  What God says He will do, He will surely do. With God nothing shall be impossible. Whatever promise God has made to you, know that it will surely come to pass. God is not man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent. Has He said it, He will surely make it good. This is why we praise Him always. In our praise is our victory. Praise is expressing confidence in God’s ability to do what He has promised to do;. Therefore, whatever we are believing God to do for us let us begin to praise Him in advance knowing that He is too faithful to fail.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for doing for me what You have promised in Your Word. Today as I hold on to Your  promise, I know that Your Word concerning me will surely come to pass in my life in Jesus Name.   

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

Proverbs 29:18 KJV

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

 DAILY READING –Matthew 22:1-22; Numbers 21; Song of Solomon 1:1-2:7

According to a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, bronze medal winners are generally happier with their prizes than are silver medalists. Why? Bronze medalists are thrilled to win a medal at all, while silver medalists can’t stop thinking about how close they came to gold.

Its all a matter of having the right perspective. Indeed how we see things in our lives and in our worlds has a lot of impact on us.

Many years ago, a large American shoe company sent two sales representatives out to different parts of the Australian outback to see if they could get business among the Aborigines. Some time later, the company received telegrams from both agents. The first said, “No business here, Aborigines don’t wear shoes.”

The second one said, “Great opportunity here, Aborigines don’t wear shoes!” These two salesmen saw things differently. Question is; How do you view situations that confront you? Do you see them as adversities or as opportunities? Your perspective is what shapes your result. It’s all in how you look at things.

Perspective is understanding something because you see things from a larger frame of reference. In a spiritual sense, it means seeing life from God’s point of view. Without perspective we follow our own natural inclinations. For instance when we look at sin from God’s viewpoint, we realize the long-term consequences of sin are greater than any short-term pleasure sin might provide. This is why The Bible says in

Proverbs 14:12  “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death”

We need to develop the right perspective if we’re going to get life right. We are to walk by faith, not by sight. We are to access situations based on the perspective of God’s Word.

When goliath faced the army of Israel there were two different perspectives. While the men of Israel saw a looming crisis, David saw a looming opportunity. While they saw a giant too big to fight, David saw a target too big to miss, because God has imparted to him the right perspective. So while the army ran from goliath, David ran towards giant. The difference was perspective.

As a man thinks in his heart so is he. What you see within you is what eventually manifests around you. David could see differently because he looked through the spectacle of faith. He knew that God was able to destroy goliath. They that know their God shall be strong and do exploits. God imparted to David’s heart the faith to do exploit. It is through faith that while men say there is a casting down, you can say there is a lifting up, where they see mountains, you see possibilities, where they see adversities you see opportunities. Faith makes you see differently.

The Bible lets us know in the book of Jeremiah 17, that the man whose heart departs from God will not see when good comes. But the man who trusts in God will not see hardship, but rather will see when good comes.

In Numbers 13, When the ten spies gave their fear-filled report about the giants in Canaan, they said ‘we were in their eyes like grasshoppers’. But Caleb said ‘we are well able to overcome it’. Perspective made the difference. An inner vision makes men see victory where others see only defeat.

Lack of inner vision gives men a shallow perspective of life. Where no vision is the people perish. It is The Holy Spirit that paints the right picture on the canvass of our minds giving us the right perspective.

God has been speaking to your heart to go forward and take territories, but so far you have been allowing the wrong perspective to becloud your vision. You have been thinking within you that you lack what it takes for accomplishment. Why not trust and take a step forward. Commit that situation to God in prayer and ask Him to give you the right perspective, God can help you achieve it, you only  just need to see it first. You need The Spirit to open your eyes to the opportunities that abound around you. When you can see the invisible, you can do the impossible. With the right perspective, what others see as crisis, you will see only as opportunity.

PRAYER: Father please open my eyes to see the opportunities that abound around me. Enable me to have the right perspective so that I can act right in every situation in Jesus’ name.

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

Romans 10:6   But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart:

DAILY READING –    Matthew 21:28-46; Numbers 19-20; Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:14

In 1895 a ship was lost at sea for many days. Then this ship  suddenly sighted a friendly vessel. From the mast of the unfortunate ship was a signal that said: “Water, water. We die of thirst.” The answer from the friendly vessel at once came back: “Cast down your bucket where you are.” A second time, the signal, “Water, send us water!” went up from the distressed vessel. And was answered: “Cast down your bucket where you are.” A third and fourth signal for water was answered: “Cast down your bucket where you are.” The captain of the distressed vessel, at last heeding the injunction, cast down his bucket and it came up full of fresh, sparkling water from the mouth of the Amazon River. The fresh drinkable water he was looking for had been with him all along.

Romans 10:6   But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach’

The Word is near us. The Word  of God contains all we need to excel in life. Yet many people are looking to the hills for help, while the Word is near.

The starting point on the journey of success is access to the Word of life. It is the foundation. It is good to have great dreams and aspirations, and have great plans, but first, start casting your bucket where you are. Start searching the scriptures to know first what God says. And when you are certain what God’s will is for you, don’t sit around and do nothing about , get up and begin to run with the vision.

Start taking small steps, while you await the giant stride. A journey of a 1000 miles starts with a step. Start doing the little you can where you are, and before you know it, the trickles will turn into a river.

Are you still sitting around waiting for something big to first happen to you? Well, it may never happen if you never take the first small steps. Enough daydreaming and wishing, if wishes were horses even beggars would ride. Decide to do something with what God has imparted to your heart. You must have what to present to God for Him to multiply.

When the widow of the prophet complained to the prophet Elisha about her financial difficulties, the question he asked her was ‘what do you have?’ She said nothing but a pot of oil. He asked her to bring it and when he prayed over it, the oil began to multiply. Also  the widow of Zarephath told prophet Elijah she just has a little oil and flour. But through the prophet God multiplied what she presented until it was sufficient to feed them all through the famine period.

So the question for you today is what do you have, what can you offer, what talent or abilities do you have? It doesn’t matter how insufficient it maybe, when you turn it over to God and begin to do what you can, God will multiply it to meet your needs.

Many times we have great dreams God has put in our hearts, but when we look at how accomplish it, it appears impossible. The common complaint often is insufficient fund, or inadequate qualification or lack of human connections etc. But then we forget that the Bible has already said with God nothing shall be impossible.

So start casting your bucket where you are, believing God for the best and He will surely do for you exceedingly, abundantly above all you could ever ask, think or imagine in Jesus name. Amen

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to learn to align with your word, to allow your Word to control my life so that  I can begin to walk into the good things you have prepared for me.Grant me the wisdom to know what to do per time in Jesus Name. 

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God is preparing you for the season He prepared your breakthrough. – 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. Psalm 34:1-2

• DAILY READING        Matthew 21:1-27; Numbers 17-18; Ecclesiastes 11:1-8

Glenn Cunningham is one of History’s greatest athletes.  However his story is an amazing testament of God’s faithfulness. When he was eight years old, he had a fire accident at the school that killed his brother and left him with severe burns on his legs.  Glenn Cunningham was given up by doctors who believed he would be a hopeless cripple destined to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. ” He will never be able to walk again,” they said, “No chance.”

The doctors examined his legs, but they had no way of looking into Glenn’s heart. He didn’t listen to the doctors and set out to walk again. Lying in bed, his skinny, red legs covered with scar tissue, Glenn vowed,” Next week, I’m going to get out of bed. I’m going to walk.” And he did just that.

His mother told of how she used to push back the curtain and look out the windows to watch Glenn reach up and take hold of an old plow in the yard. With a hand on each   handle, he began to make his gnarled and twisted legs   function. And with every step of pain, he came closer to walking. Soon he began to trot; before long he was running. When he started to run, he became even more determined. “I always believed that I could walk, and I did. now I’m going to run faster than anybody has ever run.’

He became a great miler who, in 1934, set the world’s record of 4’06”. He was honored as the outstanding athlete of the century at Madison Square Garden.

No matter what life throws your way never give up. If you don’t quit you win eventually. Problems are not stop signs, they could be guidelines, to let you know you may need to re-direct your approach.

The story has been told of how the potato, egg and coffee bean were all put in  boiling water, but each reacted differently. The potato went in strong, but came out soft and weak; the egg went in fragile and came out hard. However, the ground coffee bean was unique; when put in the boiling water, it changed the water and created something new. Question then is; how do you react when confronted by adverse situations?

Many times you will not be able to change what you are going through; you may not be able to change the reports around you, but one thing you can change or control is your response to them. Your response and attitude is actually more important than the things that happen to you.

 Two individuals may have a common experience, yet one sees the obstacle as a stepping stone and the other allows the obstacle to become a stumbling block and a barrier to their destiny. The difference between these two individuals is their 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.

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! He 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 because when you do that God steps into the scene and that compels every devil to bow out.

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!

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O most High. Psalm 92:1

PRAYER: Lord, you are always good and faithful, no matter what happens around you,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 1:16 KJV

 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek..

• DAILY READING – Matthew 20:17-34; Numbers 15-16; Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:20

Today Bibles are everywhere, and very easily accessible. And often times we take that for granted. But do you know there was a time in history when it was a crime, punishable by death, for the common man to read the bible. This was so until one man risked his life to make the Bible easily available .  He stood up for the truth in his generation.

In 1408 the Roman catholic church had banned the unauthorized translation of the Bible into English, But William Tyndale defying the ban, translated the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into English, making a Bible for the common people.  90% of the King James Version of the Bible and 75% of the Revised Standard Version are from the translation of the Bible into English made by William Tyndale.

In 1535 he was arrested and sentenced to die a heretic’s death: His alleged crimes were disagreements with the Catholic Church’s teachings and his English-Bible translations. Just before he died, on October 6, 1536 he cried out his last words, asking God to  “open the eyes” of the then king, Henry VIII, to allow people in England to have access to their own Bibles. His prayer was answered within a year. And the bible became accessible to the common man. .

Tyndale could have lived a ‘normal’ life without upsetting the cart. Yet knowing the risk to his life he stood up for the truth and allowed his light to shine in the darkness. And today every one has access to the bible because one man paid the price.

We may not be required to die for what we believe but it is paramount as Christians that we be resolute in standing for our faith. Wherever we go let us shine the light of the Gospel. There are people in darkness.. Many people are confused by diverging messages in the world and they need a beacon in their darkness.  

Mathew 5:16 says ‘ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’

Do not hide your light. Speak forth the truth of God’s Word to shatter the darkness in men’s hearts. Use every possible opportunity to preach the gospel. Don’t sit on the fence, knowing the truth and yet doing nothing to reach the dying world around you with the Gospel.  Life is about taking sides, it is dangerous to walk in the middle of the road. Be radical for Jesus, Proclaim your faith boldly, let your light shine for men to see. In all that you do and say, let it be clear you represent God.

However to live a life of such conviction truth has to be deeply imparted into your heart. This is why there is a need to spend time in The Word of God until you are  filled and controlled by His Word. You cannot impact your world until you have first been impacted by The Word. It is out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

It is only when you have been watered that you in turn can water others also.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to stand up for the truth, help me to preach your Word in season and out of season, grant me the boldness to proclaim your Word  with power wherever I go in Jesus Name. 

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

Revelation 12;11‘And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they did not love their lives to the death. 

‘DAILY READING – –  Matthew 20:1-16; Numbers 13-14; Ecclesiastes 9:1-12

Christianity today  and the Mirror UK , recently reported an astonishing incident that happened at the Pentecostal  church in Bogota, Colombia.  While the pastor was preaching , a hooded man armed with a large knife suddenly leapt from his seat inside the church  and rushed at the pastor. He was about to stab the man of God when he suddenly froze as if gripped by an “invisible force”. Just inches away from the pastor, the attacker then took his hood down and then appeared to lose his balance as he collapsed. He fell to the ground convulsing as churchgoers quickly disarmed the assailant. The astonishing incident was caught on camera inside the Pentecostal  Church. As the knife-wielding man attacked, the video footage showed the pastor, Pedro Pablo Martin, calmly saying, “There is power in the name of Jesus,” repeating this several times.  It was while the pastor was declaring these words that the attacker suddenly froze as if gripped by an “invisible force” and then he lost his balance and fell to the ground convulsing.

In an official statement, the church  said what the worshipers just witnessed was God directly intervening to stop evil from harming a man of God. “We have a powerful God and his name is Jesus Christ. There is power in the name of Jesus,” a church spokesman said.

The Bible says in Revelation 12:11 ‘And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they did not love their lives to the death.

Indeed we are  overcomers by the blood of Jesus. Through the blood we are separated from the evil in the world.  Indeed we need to understand that we have a  covenant of protection with God through the blood of Jesus. . It is a covenant of exception, which means that what happens to the children of darkness is not permitted to happen to the children of light. There is need for us to understand that our case is different. By covenant, we are exempted from evil occurrences, untimely death, sickness, poverty, and every other evil in the world.  And this covenant is based on the power that is in the blood of Jesus.

In Exodus 12:13 God says ‘And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.’

By the mark of the blood of the lamb,  death will always pass over us. Just as the case of Goshen was different by the blood we are exempted from afflictions of the Egyptians.  Psalm 91 says that when we make The Lord our refuge a thousand will fall by our side and ten thousand at our right hand yet it will not come near us. Why? Because we are protected by the blood of Jesus. His Name is a strong tower that we run into and we are safe.

indeed we must understand that the power of the blood of Jesus has provided everything we need to live a life of victory, including Redemption, fellowship, healing, protection and authority over the enemy. By the blood we are healed, we are protected, we are favored, we are exempted from all harm. 

Let us therefore always exercise our covenant rights by pleading the Blood of Jesus continually over our lives, over our families and all that concerns us. . 

.PRAYER:  Lord please grant me the grace to know that my case is different. By the revelation of the power in the Blood of Jesus please enable me to begin to understand and exercise my covenant rights as a child of God in Jesus Name.  .

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The tests you are going through in life today is not for your destruction, it is for your testimony. – WORDBITE 222. 

Acts 16:26

‘And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.’

 DAILY READING –     – Matthew 19:16-30; Numbers 11-12; Ecclesiastes 8

On a hot August day in 1944, in the small village of Plelo, in German-occupied France, a 15-year-old boy stood before a firing squad. He and other citizens of Plelo, it seemed were being punished for harboring a unit of the French freedom fighters. The German commanding officer, who had arrested this small group of freedom fighters was also punishing everyone who had helped them. As the boy stood before the firing squad, he was terrified of dying. He thought of all he would miss by never growing up. He wondered what it would feel like for bullets to rip through his body. But as the German soldiers got ready to shoot them, suddenly, the sound of exploding mortar was heard in the distance. American soldiers were coming to rescue them! The captain of the French freedom fighters had managed to send an S.O.S to the Americans. The Germans were forced to abandon the firing squad to face the invading army. And for three hours the two sides battled fiercely. Eventually, the Americans had the upper hand, and defeated the German soldiers.. Bob Hamsley, a corporal in Patton’s Third Army had led the rescue mission into the village of Plelo.

Just imagine how that 15 year old boy must have felt when he was rescued. Years later, this boy would become the Mayor of Plelo. He initiated the search for  Bob Hamsley, the American officer who had rescued them from the firing squad. In 1990 the town of Plelo honored Bob Hamsley on the very spot where dozens of the town’s citizens would have died if not for him.

Indeed we serve the God of sudden interventions. God may not move immediately, but He moves suddenly. Just when we sometimes think it is over, and there is no way out, God moves for our deliverance.

‘Suddenly’—it’s God’s specialty. While we are wringing our hands in despair or wondering what is going to happen, God is setting the stage for a divine intervention. God is never late. Even those times, it seems we can’t see Him working, He is setting things up behind the scenes. And then, at the perfect moment, He suddenly acts in ways we never expected and that changes the picture dramatically and completely.

God moved suddenly for the Christians assembled in the upper room after Christ’s ascension. Acts 2:2 says ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.’

God moved suddenly also for Paul and Silas in prison. They were locked up, beaten up, not knowing what next would befall them.  Acts 16:26 says ‘And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.’

It doesn’t matter how tough your situation may seem, believe God for a sudden change of story. There is nothing impossible with God. Every day is God’s day; the day you believe is your day. One encounter with God can end a lifetime of struggles.

God crowns the year with good things. Therefore, be assured that as the year rounds up, He has concluded a definite plan of divine completion for you. All you have been believing God for in this year can still come to pass. It is never too late. The expectations of the righteous shall not be cut off. Suddenly God will move in your favor. Violent faith is one way to attract divine visitation. Everything about our inheritance requires the engagement of spiritual violence. Matthew 11:12 tells us the violent take it by force. Therefore in this season be prepared to get your portion by force. And because every divine agenda speaks loudest at the end, as the year ends, be prepared for sudden prophetic fulfillments of God’s Word to you.  What is entitled you by covenant, you will not miss it! Therefore, do not allow the enemy to cheat you by telling it is too late. It doesn’t take time it takes God. Believe God for a sudden turn around. Believe Him for miracles. Believe Him for a sudden change of story. And it will be unto you according to your faith.

PRAYER: Father I thank You for Your  sudden visitation that will bring about my positive change of story. Indeed that which is  impossible to men  is totally possible to You. I know by Your grace I am surely ending  this year well in Jesus Name.  

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

1 Timothy 6:12  ‘Fight the good fight of faith lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses’

DAILY READING – Matthew 19:1-15; Numbers 9-10; Ecclesiastes 7

Mohammed Ali became the first man to win the boxing heavyweight title three times and revolutionized the sport by introducing a style that went against many of the game’s sacred teachings. One of the tactics he employed in his style was  psychological warfare in the boxing ring.  He discovered that with his mouth, by making loud boasts, he could wear down his opponents, and beat a tough fighter even before the bout begun. In 1964 Ali was only 22 years and was to fight  Sonny Liston, the then world heavy weight champion, who was older, and who had once been jailed for killing a man with his bare hands.

Yet Ali was not deterred. While training for their fight, Ali, a natural self-promoter, taunted Liston and boasted to reporters that he would win by knockout. Although Ali was fearful within, outwardly he made such wild and loud boasts that convinced Liston that the younger boxer was utterly insane. And for the first time, Liston was intimidated. In the ring  Liston was so  frustrated by Ali’s tactics  that at the beginning of the seventh round, he refused to continue his fight with Ali.

In a later fight, Ali defeated Liston to win the world heavyweight boxing crown. Ali having found that demoralizing his opponents with his mouth was effective, used the tactic in many other fights. However towards the end of his boxing career, Muhammad Ali made an attempt to win a fourth world heavyweight boxing championship in a scheduled 15-round contest with Larry Holmes. The problem however was that Holmes, had been a former sparring partner to Ali, and so understood how Ali operated probably more than any other fighter. Though Ali at 38 years, was no match for the younger 30-year-old undefeated Holmes, in the ring Ali once again tried to apply his old tactic of psychological warfare. Ali taunted and teased Holmes with words that invoked images of black slavery as “I’m your master, I’m your teacher”. But Holmes was  oblivious to all of Ali’s attempts at psychological warfare. He hardly missed a punch and refused to be intimidated or distracted. And eventually Holmes won the fight.  Some months later Ali ended his  boxing career and retired.

To win a fight, a boxer must keep his mind focused on winning and shut out every distraction. No matter what he hears or sees, he must maintain his focus. A boxer who gives in to his emotions, will lose his coordination, and it’s a matter of time before he loses his fight.

Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7 ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith’

Paul kept the faith, because he kept his focus. He said in Philippians 3:14 ‘but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus’.  

As Paul fought the good fight of faith, he kept his focus. He had his gaze locked on his high calling, and nothing could move him from his purpose. He said in Acts 20:24, ‘but none of this things move me’. A man who will not be moved will soon see his mountains move; it is only a matter of time. When you stay focused and ignore distractions, you will accomplish your goals in no time.    

Paul realized that as a soldier of Christ, he could not be entangled with the affairs of this life, he could not dissipate spiritual energy on mundane things, but rather he must keep his gaze on finishing his course, and arriving at his preordained victory., Indeed to have victory, we must maintain our focus. Focus is the Magnetic force that retains vision and brings clarity to life.  In the School Of Success  what matters most is the Capacity Of your focus, because if focus is not available nothing will be Accessible. The ability for greatness has its root in your focus. Therefore, don’t fight obstacles, rather fight to retain your focus. The world is full of distractions; so many things  trying to shift your focus, trying to derail you from your course. But let your focus always be on God’s Word. Be controlled by the Word. Keep filling your heart continually with the word, until your actions are dominated and controlled by what God says. When your heart is full of the Word of God, there will be no room for frivolities. Like Jesus, you will say ‘My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me,’ your primary concern will be only to please God. And when you focus on blessing God,  He will focus on perfecting all that concerns you.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to fight the good fight of faith, enable me to remove distractions and focus only on Your Word always. I know that by Your help I have the victory in every battle in Jesus Name. 

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Whatever doesn’t kill you will eventually end up strengthening you. – WORDBITE 222.  

PSALM 124: 2 KJV

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:   Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:

• DAILY READING – Matthew 18:21-35; Numbers 7-8; Ecclesiastes 6

He is known the world over as the miracle man. Goodman is an amazing man with an amazing testimony of God’s grace.  Speaking in a CBN news interview he says

“It’s a modern day story of Job. You know Job lost everything. He lost his health, his wealth, his family. I did the same thing,” says Morris.

Like Job, Morris had it all. He was one of the most successful insurance agents in America.  But one day in March 1981,  his world collapsed, when he took his new airplane out for a test flight. That flight ended in tragedy, when his landing gear got caught in power lines. His injuries were horrific. Morris’ neck was broken in two places. His kidney, bladder, bowel and liver didn’t function, almost every organ in his body destroyed. All he could do was blink his eyes, once for yes and twice for no.

While all thought he would die, Morris Goodman fought for his life. He fought  long and hard, until he began to regain control of his body one step at a time.  After eight months he walked out of the hospital. Morris freely admits that God was a major factor in his recovery, even though he wasn’t even a Christian then. He said the accident in retrospect was probably the best thing that ever happened to him, because it brought him to the place where he made Jesus His Lord and savior.

Today, Morris is a sought-after motivational speaker. His clients include AFLAC, General Motors, and Xerox to name a few. He’s written a powerful book and there’s even a short film made about his life.  He says “I’m very thankful that I didn’t die at the time of my accident ‘cause I don’t know where I would be today. I’m thankful that He gave me another chance to find salvation and to save my soul.”

Its amazing that God gave Morris this incredible deliverance even while he was still a sinner. Lamentations 3:22  says ‘It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassion fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’

Many of us like Morris could have died in our sins. We would have been buried long ago and forgotten if not for the mercy of The Lord. Even while we were yet sinners, He preserved us. Some of the friends we started out with died, along the way. Yet by His mercy and grace God preserved us.

That is the humbling part. Knowing that we were defenseless, didn’t know our left from our right. The enemy had every opportunity to have destroyed us, yet God preserved us. Some of the things you passed through could have killed you, but yet you survived it. Not because of your own strength, but because He loves you. Even in the midst of that trouble He still gave His angels charge over you. You did not survive because you are lucky. You survived because of His love.

Really we have to give God credit for our lives.  If it had not been for the Lord who was on our side, where would we be?  God is good and very faithful..And no matter what things may look right now, be assured that He is working it out for you.   This is why we appreciate and praise Him. We may not trace Him, but we trust Him. we know that He is working everything together  for your good.

PRAYER:  Lord please grant me the grace to praise You in every situation. By the revelation of The Spirit, help me to see indeed  that You are working out all things for my good always. Thank You so much Jesus.  .

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When you praise God despite your situation power is released for a raise. – WORDBITE 222.

Romans 8:28 KJV

8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 DAILY READING Matthew 18:1-20; Numbers 5-6; Ecclesiastes 5

Joseph Stalin didn’t plan to assist the church in Russia during his purge of political and religious dissidents. But he did help it when he sent some pastors and Christian leaders to the labor camps of Siberia. From Magadan, where they got off the ships, the prisoners were sent in work gangs to forests and mines and remote areas to clear land, dig out vital ore, and cut roads through remote areas. It was grueling work that many did not survive. But those believers were not silent. They banded together, and as they were sent from place to place they witnessed and taught, leaving behind clusters of believers. In many communities of Eastern Siberia, strong churches still stand and groups of Christians witness to the faith and courage of those dedicated servants.

The apostle Paul faced some huge challenges.  He was sharing the Good News when he was arrested and put in  the prison. It seemed the closer he got to his destiny the more obstacles came. But Paul wasn’t defeated and depressed. When he couldn’t speak publicly, he began to write letters.

He wrote over half the New Testament from a prison cell. They thought they were stopping him but they only amplified his voice. God will use the ones trying to hold you down to propel you forward. As long as you stay in faith you will accomplish your assignment. Quit focusing on who’s against you Or how difficult the road is. God has the final say. If God doesn’t turn it around the way you thought, be certain that He is working it all out for your good.

He knows every setback and challenge you have ever had to face.  His grace is sufficient. You’ll never come to a hill where you won’t have the strength to climb it. No matter what happens be assured that Jehovah alone has the final say in your life.

At the end of his life Paul said I have finished my race – with joy. We all have things come against us. It’s easy to drag through life but there’s no victory in that. Determine to finish your course with joy. Thanking God for what you do have.

PRAYER:  Lord please help me to build my life upon the solid foundation of Your Word, knowing indeed all things are working for my good  in Jesus Name. .

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Nothing liberates like truth, the truth you know and act upon will make you free. – WORDBITE 222.