HORM Devotional

Psalm 9:3 ‘When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.’

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

John Gibson Paton was a Protestant missionary to the New Hebrides Islands of the South Pacific.
While serving on a dangerous island called Tanna, the natives repeatedly tried to kill him. On several occasions ships were sent to the Port to take the missionary away to safety. But in each instance, he declined, hoping to stay back and win more of the people of Tanna to Christ. Finally, when his mission house was broken into and everything he had was either stolen or destroyed, he realized that to stay longer meant to killed. He then decided to leave Tanna and made his way across the island, amid countless perils, to another mission station occupied by a missionary couple, Mr. and Mrs. Mathieson. But even there, the danger was.just as great. John Paton and the missionary couple.maintained great vigilance and prayed for opportunity to leave the island safely.
One night, completely worn out with long watching and fatigue, Paton fell into a deep sleep. About 10 o’clock his little dog, woke him up. Looking out, he saw that the house was surrounded by savages, some with blazing torches, the rest armed with various weapons. Quickly they set fire to the church and to the reed fence that connected it to the house. Infuriated savages then waited to kill the missionaries as they attempted to escape the burning house . Humanly speaking, their lot was hopeless. Kneeling, the missionaries committed themselves, body and soul, to the Lord Jesus, pleading His presence and His promised deliverance:
John Paton then opened the door and rushed outside to cut the reed fence before the fire engulfed the house.. Instantly he was surrounded by a company of savages with raised clubs shouting, “Kill him! Kill him!” While they yelled in savage hate, no one seemed willing to strike the first blow. Miraculously, the Lord restrained them.
At this juncture, a rushing, roaring sound of tornado of wind and rain suddenly began to approach. The wind blew the flames away from the house and the torrent of rain quenched the fire. Terror stricken, the savages fled, shouting: “Truly their God is fighting for them and helping them.”Soon every one of them had fled.
But their fright was short-lived, and they were back early the next morning to complete their bloody task. With wild shrieks they drew near the house. The missionaries inside the house prayed and called upon God for protection. Suddenly, amid the shouts of the savages, came another sound. It was the sound of an approaching ship with the loud cry “Sail O! Sail O!” The missionaries could barely believe their ears: a vessel was sailing into the harbor just when all hope seemed lost. The missionaries were soon rescued and taken to a safer island named Aneityum. For the many years that John Paton worked among the heathen tribes, God miraculously protected him from all danger.

Certainly, there are fiery Heavenly security and divine forces surrounding children of God upon the earth.
It is comforting to know that we can always count on God’s divine protection.

Psalm 46:1 says ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’

Indeed God is our ever present help at every time of need. Knowing that God is with us makes us not to fear no matter the happenings in the world. God’s Presence around us will always halt the attacks of our enemies.

Psalm 9:3 says ‘When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.’

Though we may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we shall indeed fear no evil, because God is with us.
Our ability to overcome the forces of evil is ensuring that God is with us. When we carry God’s Presence, evil will see us and flee, because evil can never stand where God abides.
God’s Presence provides a force-field of protection that makes us inaccessible to evil.
As we trust in Him, He encircles, encompasses, covers and shields us with His power.
However, what motivates God to act on our behalf is our depth of faith and relationship with Him.
God’s response to us is determined by our knowledge of who He is. Indeed it is those who know their God that will be strong and do exploits.
When we know God for ourselves and diligently obey His Word, whenever we call He hears us and whatever we ask He does for us.
The level of our knowledge of God determines the level of inheritance we can enjoy.(2 Peter 1:3).
Through intimate knowledge of God, we will enjoy divine security.
Whatever we ask, God will do for us and wherever we go He shall be with us to deliver us from all evil!

PRAYER: Lord, please grant me fresh desire to seek Your Word and Your Spirit so that I can acquire the faith I need to manifest victory and dominion wherever I go in Jesus Name. .
QUOTE :
Your present frustrations are God’s opportunities for manifestations. – WORDBITE 222

1 Corinthians 2:14 [NIV] ‘The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

DAILY READING; Matthew 20, Numbers 15-16; Ecclesiastes 9.

Ten days before the assassination of American president Abraham Lincoln, he received a warning in a dream. According to his friend and biographer, Ward Hill Lamon, President Lincoln confided in him that he had a dream in which he heard “the subdued sobs of mourners” and saw a corpse lying on a catafalque in the White House East Room. Lincoln then asked a soldier standing guard “Who is dead in the White House?”. The soldier replied, “the President. He was killed by an assassin.”
Then five days later, he received a direct warning from his friend Bishop Thomas Bowman.
Bowman told Lincoln that he was in danger of being assassinated by a famous actor named John Wilkes Booth. But according to Bowman, Lincoln “laughingly made light of the warning.”
Lincoln personally knew John Wilkes Booth and didn’t deem him capable of such a hideous act.
On the night of April 14, 1865, president Lincoln was supposed to attend the play “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre.
But that day, he developed cold feet and was reluctant to go.
But later on he changed his mind and went. As he made the trip to Ford’s Theatre, Lincoln told his bodyguard, William H. Crook, that he has had the dream of being assassinated for three straight days.
That night, while he watched the play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C the well-known stage actor John Wilkes Booth who had privileged access to the president’s booth approached from behind. Before the guards understood what he wanted to do, he pulled out a gun and shot the president at the back of his head.
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, died the following day at 7:22 am. He was the first U.S. president to be assassinated, with his funeral and burial marking an extended period of national mourning.

The truth is that our physical perceptions of people can be quite misleading. Abraham Lincoln didn’t think the famous actor,,John Wilkes Booth, capable of harming anyone. So his guards were not up, despite the direct warnings he received.
What God tells us spiritually, will often conflict with what we may see physically.
Why the things of God don’t appeal to our physical senses, is because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 2:14 [NIV] says ‘The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”
For us to live long and see good days, we must elevate divine warnings above our physical perceptions of people or situations. God reveals to redeem. It doesn’t matter how harmless someone may appear, while we may look at the physical appearance, God looks at the heart. Jeremiah 17:9 says ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
On our own we can never fully discern what goes on in the hearts of men, without the help of the Spirit..

in Matthew 10:16-17 Jesus told His disciples ‘But beware of men..’
As He sent them out to preach, Jesus told them He was sending them out as sheep among wolves and cautioned them to be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves.
When men wanted to make Jesus king, He declined because He “knew what was in man’. He knew that the same people that were shouting His Hosanna would one day also shout ‘Crucify Him’.
We should always submit, when we feel the Holy Spirit tugging at our hearts to take a particular course of action, even if we don’t quite understand why.
Whatever He tells you, do it immediately. The Spirit warns us, corrects us and redirects us because He loves us. Heeding His warnings is wisdom!
As a child of God, spiritual discernment of the voice of the Spirit should not be difficult for you.
In John 10:27, Jesus said ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me’.
If you find it difficult to hear God, then you need to spend more time in the Word, in worship and prayers.
Praying always in the Spirit, is very important in discerning God’s will, the more we pray, the more our spirit man becomes attuned and sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading..
Closeness to the Word of God and the guidance of the Spirit, will always help us to walk safely in a world of full of hidden snares. As we obey divine warnings, surely we will not become cheap victims of the wicked. Rather we will always be victors and more than conquerors in every situation.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to be totally dependent upon You. Help me to always take heed to the instructions of scriptures and guidance of Your Spirit, so that I can escape every trap of the enemy in Jesus Name.
QUOTE;
There is more to you than meets the eyes. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. – WORDBITE 222. .

2 Corinthians 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all”.

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

In his book ‘The Bible Way to Receive the Holy Spirit’
Kenneth Hagin shared how ignorance concerning the Spirit was rampant during the early days of Pentecostal Churches. Sometimes getting someone to receive the Holy Spirit baptism was even turned into a sideshow.
He told the story of how as a young Baptist minister, he was sent to pastor one of those churches where people were ignorant of the workings of the Spirit.
He said, one night two young men came to the altar to be filled with the Spirit. Some of the men from the church prayed with them for 45 minutes. There was a church member on each side of one young man. One was hollering, “Hold on, brother, hold on!” The other was hollering, “Turn loose, brother, turn loose!” A third member was kneeling behind the young man, praying and thumping him on his back like an air-hammer. He was hollering, “Holler louder, brother, holler louder! God will hear you if you’ll holler louder!” A fourth man was in front of the young man, yelling right in his face, and spitting on him every time he opened his mouth. He was hollering, “Give up, brother, give up!”
Kenneth Hagin said after about 45 minutes the four church members wore themselves out and left without getting either one of the young men filled with the Holy Spirit.
As the two young candidates started to leave, Kenneth stopped them and had them sit on the altar bench. He then read Scriptures to them and pointed out how the Samaritans had received the Holy Spirit.
He told them that they have been shouting for God to give them a gift of the Spirit. But God was waiting for them to just receive it.
When he made them to understand that all they had to do was receive the Holy Spirit, both young men instantly received and started speaking inspired utterance in another language.
He said before he left his last pastorate in 1949 and went out in field ministry, he got many people filled with the Holy Spirit, through the simple explanation of receiving the gift which God has already given.
He said his greatest success was getting a man filled who had been seeking the Holy Spirit for 50 years!

Today, with the growth of spiritual knowledge in the body of Christ, getting people filled with Spirit is no longer the dramatic show it used to be.
But after getting “filled” with the Spirit and speaking in tongues, many believers stop right there. They fail to realize that beyond that, there is a far greater exciting experience of constant communion with the Spirit that enables us to live in victory and power.
When Jesus was on the earth, without the Holy Spirit, the Lord would never have accomplished His mission of taking our sins to the cross and resurrecting from the grave.
If the Lord Jesus was so dependent on the Holy Spirit while He was on earth, can we, be any less dependent?
Jesus understood the great importance of the Spirit, that was why He prayed the Father to send the Holy Spirit to help His disciples, to comfort them, counsel them and empower them. But their key access to the benefits of the Spirit was having constant communion with Him.

2 Cor. 13:14 says “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all”.

The Holy Spirit longs for our communion, friendship and love. He stays close to those who love Him and fellowship regularly with Him. Though He is the power of the Godhead, yet He is a person who is tender and very sensitive. He is a gentleman. How much value we give the Holy Spirit determines how much of His power will reflect in our lives.
For instance, if we fill our lives with newspapers, we will speak news. If we constantly watch soap operas, we will speak soap operas. But when we daily spend quality time in seeking the Spirit, our lives will reflect His power and glory..
As we daily fellowship with Him, we become more sensitive to Him and learn how to relate with Him. This is what turns us into signs and wonders to our world.
Today, let us make the decision to daily spend quality time in constant communion with the Holy Spirit. As we do, we will be overcomers in every battle and our lives will overflow with blessings. Wherever we go, it will be obvious to all that we truly live in the Presence and power of the Spirit.

PRAYER: Father, I know you have so much in store for me, please enable me to daily spend quality time in sweet communion with the Spirit, so that I can begin to live the life of power You have ordained for me in Jesus Name. .
QUOTE;
When you obey God’s instruction you are delivered from destruction. WORDBITE 222

John 11:25 ‘Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:’

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

On July 11, 2013, an interesting story was reported in Daily Mail and other major News outlets. According to the story, a baby girl pronounced dead in South Brazil miraculously came back to life three hours later after she was left on the hospital chapel’s altar.
The News report said that the baby named Yasmin, was born alive at the Lincoln Graca hospital, but stopped breathing almost immediately.
The medics battled to save Yasmin but all her signs pointed to the complete absence of life, she was blue all over, completely dead.
After doctors unsuccessfully tried to revive her, she was then pronounced dead and a death certificate was issued.
Yasmin’s mother, 22 year old Jenifer da Silva Gomes, felt her world crash down when she learnt her daughter had died But in the hospital that day, was a nurse who believed in miracles. This nurse named, Ana Claudia Oliveira, asked for permission for the baby’s body to be laid in the hospital chapel. The body of Yasmin Gomes was then put in a box and the nurse placed it on the altar of the chapel.
Three hours later, the dead baby’s grandmother arrived to take her body to the morgue. But she was met by a stunning sight! She found baby Yasmin alive, kicking her legs and with her eyes open.
At first she couldn’t believe it, because the family had already accepted her death. When they indeed saw she was alive and was breathing, they were overjoyed with gratitude to God, having witnessed a miracle of resurrection.
They believed God had brought her back, because He had a higher purpose for her life.
Doctor Aurelio Filipak who signed her death certificate said he had never seen anything like it in his 20years of practice.
Yasmin’s family later changed her name to include Victoria – which translates to ‘victory’ in Portuguese – in light of her ‘resurrection.’

There is no limit to the miracles we will see when we dare to believe God even in the face of impossibilities.
No matter how dead any situation, through the mystery of divine intervention, there can be resurrection and restoration.
The price Jesus paid at the Cross ensures that those who call upon Him never end up ashamed.
Life is a battle field and situations are not always fair, but when it seems you have every reason to feel discouraged, always remember that there is help available for you in Zion. We serve the God who is the game changer!
The sacrifice of Jesus ensures we can have a change of story.
It doesn’t matter how rough or tough the things that may confront us, we are always guaranteed victory as long as we invite God into the battle.
Truly there is nothing God cannot do. He is the faithful God, the all-sufficient God, the God of all hope and the great I am. He has wonder-working power, which can turn around any situation.
The Greek word for “power” in the New Testament is dunamis. It is the origin of the English words dynamite, dynamo and dynamic. Dynamite blows things up. A dynamo generates electricity. Something dynamic is always on the move, changing things!
Through His resurrection, Christ has made available to us, the explosive power that guarantees our victory over death, hell and the grave.

Acts 1:8. It says, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

As Christians, we have the power of the Spirit! The same power that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us. That power is able to quicken our mortal bodies and raise us up from the low points of life.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8)!
Just as He raised Lazarus from the grave, He can lift anyone from any pit of despair. He can raise you from the bed of sickness, from financial struggles and release your destiny from any grave where it may seem to have been buried.
It doesn’t matter how hopeless any condition, just dare to trust God today to turn it around. Fill your heart with God’s Word and keep calling those things that be not as if they were by declaring your victory.
Surely, by the power of the Spirit, every trial will turn into a testimony for you. God will give you a new song in the darkest night and turn your mourning into dancing.

PRAYER: Father, I thank You for the resurrection power at work in me through redemption. By the Power of the Spirit, please help me to experience my own tangible revival and restoration in this season in Jesus Name.
QUOTE
There is something that God has placed within you that the world is eagerly awaiting to see. WORDBITE 222

Jeremiah 8:7 ‘Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord.’

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

Scientists believe that some birds possess a “global GPS system” that can tell them how to get home from anywhere on Earth.
Recent researches indicate that some bird species are born with migration routes genetically encoded in their brains. In other words they have a kind of inborn inner guidance that leads them when they fly .
The navigational precision displayed by many birds is truly amazing.
Birds can travel for thousands of miles, sometimes cross entire continents, and still return back to the exact same spot where they took off from, without ever losing their way.
Millions of migratory birds make epic journeys between their breeding and wintering grounds every year. The incredible thing is that they return back to the exact place they started their trip from. They return back to the same nests left months ago, to the same tree, same back yard. Some of them in their life span, cover millions of miles, completing some of the longest flights known to science.
For instance, every year, billions of songbirds migrate thousands of miles between Europe and Africa — and then repeat that same journey again, year after year, to nest in exactly the same place that they chose on their first great journey.
Even when these birds are buffeted by winds so much that they’re significantly displaced from their migratory route, they are still able to realign their course.
Though humans have been studying the issue of bird migration for thousands of years, it still remains one of the world’s greatest biological mysteries.
On a long journey, humans need at least a map and a compass to find their way—a map for route and distance, and a compass to stay on course. Yet birds are mysteriously guided in making epic journeys with amazing precision.

Jeremiah 8:7 says ‘Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord.’

Prophet Jeremiah, contrasts the wisdom of the birds, who know their appointed time, with the folly of man, who knows not “the judgment of the Lord,”.
The truth is that God has not left man without divine direction in life. Just as God has created birds with a natural guidance, there is supernatural guidance, available to those who are born of God.
As sons of God, we have a major advantage in life; it is the guidance of the Holy Ghost.

Romans 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

It is the heritage of the sons of God to be led by the Spirit of God. Every saved believer is a child of destiny and product of God’s predestination [Romans 8:30].
But it takes the guidance of the Holy Spirit to arrive at our glorious destination.
Believers only suffer losses in life if they refuse to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
No matter how smart or knowledgeable we may be, our brain cannot be more accurate than the Holy Spirit.
Our mind can only relate with past and present events, but the Holy Spirit is the One that has access into the future and knows the end from the beginning.
The Spirit shows us things to come and what to do to ascend to our next level of destiny.

John 16:13 says ‘Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.’

To access the revelations of the Spirit, we must come up to a higher spiritual level, because a carnal mind cannot receive the things of God. We must be willing to pay the price of training our spirit man to become sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit by maintaining a lifestyle of fervent prayers and indepth study of the Word.
It can be tempting to follow the easy way of guiding ourselves and relying on our physical senses. But there is a way which seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
When we pay the price of spiritual diligence to seek God’s voice and follow His guidance, He will be our shepherd, leading us to our green pastures in life.
When we commit our lives to the Lord and daily seek His divine direction, we will avoid mistakes and regrets.
Life often presents us with many options and different paths but God alone knows what is best for us. This is why we must seek Him for guidance.
As we commit to living a life of spirituality and dependence on divine guidance, surely, the Holy Spirit will lead us per time into His perfect plans and preordained purposes for us.

PRAYER Lord, Please by Your Spirit, guide me on this journey of destiny. Help me to be willing to pay whatever price it takes, to hear Your clear divine direction to enable me excel in life in Jesus Name.
QUOTE;
God is preparing you for the season He prepared for your breakthrough WORDBITE 222.

Galatians 5:22-22 ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.’

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

When Pastor Boris Vujicic’s son was born on 4th December 1982, with a very rare disorder, many people were shocked. The baby came into the world with no arms and no legs, having only a six-inch appendage with two toes on the left side of his torso.
Pastor Boris Vujicic and his wife, nurse Dushka Vujicic – were not given any medical explanation for their baby’s condition.
Though many in their church, wondered why God would allow the pastor’s son to be born with such a defect, Pastor Boris Vujicic and his wife chose to trust God.
They named their son, Nick Vujicic and tried their best to help him to live a ‘normal’ life. But despite their efforts, by age eight, Nick began to feel great depression about his disabilities, which resulted in multiple suicide attempts. On Nick’s third attempt to end his life he had a vision. He saw his mom and dad crying at his grave, and he realized that his suicide would be a worse blow to his parents than having a son without limbs.
After that vision, Nick decided not to kill himself. Soon after, Nick had a life-changing moment when he read John chapter 9 where Jesus said a man was born blind so the works of God would be revealed.
Understanding, that his own disability could also be used by God to reveal His glory, Nick surrendered his life to Jesus and began a relationship with God, which changed everything for him. He became joyful, trusting that God was in control of his life. Thereafter, he began to enjoy his life and became full of smiles. By age 17, he began to conduct classes where he spoke to encourage other students. One day he was speaking to 300 sophomore public high school students and half of the girls began to cry, touched by his speech. From that moment God ignited his heart with a passion to beccome a worldwide evangelist.
In 2005, he founded an international non-profit organization and ministry, ‘Life Without Limbs’. Nick began travelling all over the world, sharing his message of hope to millions of people and helping many come to faith in Jesus Christ.
Though born without limbs, today, Pastor Nick Vujicic is doing far more than many people who have arms and legs. He knows how to swim, play soccer, use the computer, and a lot more. He has written books and featured in films. He has been blessed with a good wife and four beautiful children.
God has used him mightily to instill hope in many hearts. Today, Pastor Nick Vujicic is one of the most widely recognized evangelists in the world and has become an international symbol of victory over adversity.

Pastor Nick’s change of story came when he decided to be joyful, despite his circumstances.
In the book of Philippians, Apostle Paul writes from a state of imprisonment under difficult circumstances.
But despite the adverse conditions, he commands the Christians at Philippi to ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. rejoice in the Lord always.’ [Philippians 4:4-8].
Here Paul reveals that the secret to experiencing joy is by shifting our focus to God in all circumstances.
Today, the world is currently in a desperate state, with many nations facing economic recession, security concerns, social unrest etc.
While this current state of affairs can foster an atmosphere of despondency, as Christians we cannot allow anything take away our joy.
True joy is unlike happiness. Happiness is a fluctuating positive response to favorable life situations and depends on outward circumstances.
But joy comes from the inside as imparted to our hearts by the Spirit of God.
At salvation, God implants joy in all believers through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Even in adverse situations, the Holy Spirit supernaturally works in our hearts to produce His fruit of joy (Galatians 5:22).
Unspeakable joy, is unexplainable joy. It is the joy you can’t explain in natural terms. No matter what goes on, you chose to always trust God and refuse to be moved by circumstances. This Joy is the source of strength for rising to your high places. But depression can stop you from getting there because once the devil succeeds in stealing your joy, he has succeeded in stealing your strength. Depression is the enemy’s trap for stealing your colorful destiny. Therefore, don’t allow it! Do not allow money, relationships or anything to control your joy, because they are inconsistent.
In every situation, let us keep our hope in God who never fails. Certainly, God is ever constant and reliable and is able to turnaround any condition and surpass all our expectations.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to remain joyful and keep praising You despite any situation, let nothing ever stop the continual flow of your praise from my mouth because You are too faithful to ever fail me in Jesus Name.

QUOTE;
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

Zechariah 4 1 ‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: `Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.’

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

Richard Allen was a black American slave who became one of the greatest Christian leaders of his time.
After receiving salvation at age 17, he preached and evangelized among his fellow slaves. When the white neighbors heard it, they advised young Allen’s slave owner, Stokeley Sturgis, that allowing Allen to practice religion would make him unproductive So Allen worked to prove them wrong by dedicating himself to faithful service.
His efforts were successful, and his master was impressed. Soon Allen’s white master, Sturgis, also became converted to Christianity. As outward show of his genuine repentance, he freed his slaves, and helped Allen to purchase his own freedom.
Allen continued to preach and to work as a free man and dedicated himself to the spreading of the Gospel.
When Allen found that in the Church where he worshipped, black people were often segregated and mistreated, he decided to acquire a building that became the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. It was the first Methodist church in the United States specifically for African American worshipers. Five years later, Allen was ordained, the first African American deacon in the Methodist Episcopal Church.
By the time of Allen’s death in 1831, the AME Church had grown to nearly 10,000 members. Today, the AME has more than 6,000 churches and more than 2 million members. This was achieved because Allen despite his limited circumstances as a black slave trusted God to do the impossible and achieve the incredible in his life.

Allen was born a slave, but he knew that by becoming a child of God, his story would be different.. And so he refused to bow to the wind of opposition and persevered until the manifestation of
God’s purpose for his life.
As a child of God, you are a divine project. Though there may be difficulties and challenges, as you remain persistent in pursuing God passionately, it is only a matter of time before your glorious destiny emerges..
As a believer in Christ, though outwardly, you may sometimes look disadvantaged, inwardly you are full of divine treasures.
If you don’t know who you are, you will likely sell yourself short and compromise under tough circumstances.
But when you know that you are a Blood-bought child of the Most High God, you will keep your standards high and settle for nothing less than God’s best for you.
It takes the Holy Spirit to impart into our heart the faith to see a glorious future and not be discouraged by current circumstances.
As we connect to the Holy Spirit, He will empower us and embolden us to despise present challenges and keep pressing forward to the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Today, outward facts and circumstances may be telling you that you can never achieve your desired goal. But whose report will you believe?
God has a definite plan for your life and He has ordained His Holy Spirit to lead you into that glorious plan.
Achieving Gods great purpose for your life will not be by might nor by power, but by the power of the Spirit of God at work in you [Zechariah 4 1].
God’s invisible Power is domicile, embedded and resides in the Holy Ghost. No matter how great the battles, that may confront you, by the superior invisible force of the Holy Ghost, you will emerge victorious..
As you corporate with the Spirit of God and follow Him wholeheartedly, through a consistent and fervent prayer life, you will surely arrive at your own promised land.
By the anointing of the Spirit, every yoke will be broken, you will surpass all expectations and come to the full manifestation of your colorful destiny.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for the grace and strength to keep pressing forward in every situation. Certainly by Your grace I shall indeed soon see a manifestation of Your great plans for my life this year in Jesus Name.
Quote :
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

Hebrews 13:5 (AMP), “I will never under any circumstances desert you nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you, Assuredly not!”

DAILY READING; Matthew 17; Numbers 3-4; Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:16

‘Out of the Ashes: The restoration of a burned boy’ is a book by Peter Gladwin. Peter was barely one year old, when a domestic fire left him horribly scarred. Peter was left with 70 per cent burns and amputated fingers and toes.
To worsen matters, his accident caused a major strife between his parents that eventually ended in their divorce.
Peter struggled to survive as a disabled kid as he was always in and out of care homes. Burdened by feelings of inadequacy, as he grew older he started hanging around with street gangs. He began getting in trouble with the police and was in youth custody by age 13. . When he got stabbed, he effectively lost the use of his right arm. For years Peter took refuge in gambling, drinking and drugs.
BY the age of 30, Peter was a total wreck, mentally, physically and psychologically. Every relationship had failed and he couldn’t get away from his constant bar-rage of adversity. Feeling defeated by the tragedies, setbacks and addictions he’d endured since childhood, he decided to end his life.
One day he climbed onto the parapet of a bridge and prepared to jump.
But while standing there, somehow he looked up and noticed that the block of flats where his mother lived was nearby. He jumped down from the parapet and ran to his mother’s flat. Finding her, he poured his heart out to her.
His mum then phoned his sister, Annette, who had newly become a Christian. Over the phone, Annette prayed with Peter and he became a Christian.
After accompanying Annette, to a local church, for the first time in weeks Peter went to sleep without being drunk or high on drugs.’ It was the start of his profound transformation. In 1993 he started a two-year course at the Elim Bible College in Cheshire, and met and married a lovely Swiss girl.
Peter felt called to set up the charity named ‘Out of Ashes’, which works with churches, schools, prisons, orphanages and rehab centres to offer hope and restoration around the world.
Today, Peter Gladwin works as a full time evangelist, sharing the story of his transformation and God’s amazing faithfulness.

Truly God is able to bring beauty out of ashes. In the face of disadvantages, disabilities, discouragement and adversities, a divine turnaround is possible.
Sometimes in life, we may face problems where it seems we are outnumbered and outgunned.
It could be worrisome medical diagnosis, financial lack that seems insurmountable or problems that simply defy solutions.
If a situation appears more than you can handle, don’t give up hope.
Refuse the temptation to accept defeat or think things will never change.
There’s nothing impossible with God. There’s no condition He cannot change.
If you are wondering how help will arise for you, keep your eyes on God’s Word. God is faithful and they that call upon Him shall certainly be saved.
We always need to keep our eyes on God because our help comes from Him alone.
No matter how insurmountable the mountains and hills, we need to lift our eyes above to the One who controls them.
We serve the limitless God who holds the oceans in the palm of His hand. He sized the heavens between His fingers, poured out the dust of the earth in a measuring bowl and weighed each mountain and hill (Isaiah 40:12).
We serve the majestic Creator, to whom nothing is impossible. And He has assured us that He will never leave us nor forsake us.
Hebrews 13:5 (AMP) says, “I will never under any circumstances desert you nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you, Assuredly not!”

When you are a child of God, there is always a way for you out of every tight corner. God has provided divine help through the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.In complex situations, we can receive divine illumination through praying in the Spirit.
It is through the Light of the Spirit that we are able to see the way forward in this spiritually dark world. As we pray and praise in the Spirit, things will begin to shift in the spirit realm in our favor.
Through engaging the Spirit of God, nothing can be a barrier to your triumphant comeback.
In every situation, let us Keep declaring God’s Word, keep praying in the spirit and keep praising God. Certainly, God is changing every negative story and clothing us with His glory. In this 11th month, it is certainly our season for 11th hour miracles of speedy turnarounds and supernatural change of story.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for granting me the grace to maintain a lifestyle of fervent prayers. As I pray, I know indeed You will take care of every cause of concern in my life and turn every mourning into dancing for me in Jesus’ Name.
QUOTE
When God is on your side anything is possible. WORDBITE 201

Romans 8:26 ‘Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for, as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

DAILY READING; Matthew 16; Numbers 1-2; Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

More battles have been fought over Jerusalem than any other city on earth. Jerusalem has been destroyed and rebuilt nine times. Throughout these conflicts, one Jewish symbol has always survived: the Western Wall.
The Western Wall, sometimes called the Wailing Wall, is one of the last remaining walls of the Temple Mount, which was the site of the ancient Jewish temples.
After Solomon’s temple was destroyed, King Herod rebuilt the temple and during an expansion of the Second Temple, he built the western wall in 20 BCE as a support wall. Interestingly, after the destruction of the main temple by the Romans in 70AD, the support wall survived.
Being the last remaining wall of their ancient Temple, it became very symbolic to the Jews. With the Roman invasion, the Jews were forced into 1,900 years of exile. Yet, from the various nations where they were scattered, the Jews would travel to Jerusalem at great expense and danger, just to pray at the Wall. In the face of disease, lack of water, and marauding bandits, the Jews continued to take great risks to go and pray at the wall in Jerusalem.
At this last remaining wall of their Temple, they would pour their hearts out to God, expressing their deep longing to return back to Jerusalem. The centuries of endless tears, shed by the Jews in prayers to God, made the ancient wall to become known as the “Wailing Wall”.
God did answer the prayer of the Jews. They returned from their long exile and today they are back in their ancient homeland with Jerusalem fully under their control.
The Western Wall, or “Wailing Wall”, remains the most religious site in the world for the Jewish people. Located in the Old City of Jerusalem, it is the place of pilgrimage and prayers, not only for the Jews but also for people from other nations.
The area around the wall has been cleared to create the Western Wall Plaza where visitors flock to from all over the world. Many have the custom of writing prayers on pieces of paper and placing them inside crevices of the wall.
The Wall is especially sacred to the Jewish people because it is symbolic of who they are. They are survivors Just as the wall has survived the many attacks against Jerusalem, so also has the Jewish people survived many attempts to destroy them and remained indefatigable, because they understand the power in prayer.

The Bible records several instances when the Jews prevailed through prayer. When they cried out to God from bondage in Egypt, God heard their prayers and brought deliverance..
When pursued by Pharaoh, Moses prayed, the Red Sea parted and God made a way for His people through the mighty waters. When Joshua prayed, the sun and the moon stood still for almost 24 hours until Israel won the battle against their enemies.
As the Jews engaged the power of prayer, the enemy’s plots were shattered and Heaven’s plans prevailed in their lives.
Indeed God works wonders through prayers.
No matter how formidable any enemy advancing against you, through the power of prayer you can change the tide of the battle in your favor.
Prayer is the key that unlocks the gates of Heaven and closes the gates of Hell.
Indeed great power is released and mighty miracles are wrought when we exercise the awesome privilege of prayer.

The Amplified Bible translates James 5:16: ‘The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].’

As New Testament believers, God has given us access to tremendous power through praying in the Holy Ghost.
While it is true that we are living in perilous times of great spiritual conflicts, it is also the time of the greatest release of Power to believers through the Holy Ghost.
When we pray in the Spirit, we speak mysteries as the Holy Ghost helps us to pray God’s perfect will and get speedy answers from Heaven.

Romans 8:26 says ‘Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for, as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.’

The more we pray in the Holy Ghost, the more our enemies are confounded.
As we pray, we become too spiritually hot for any devil to handle.
The baptism of The Holy Spirit is the baptism of fire.Through engaging the mystery of the Holy Ghost, we devastate principalities and powers and triumph over them.
It doesn’t matter the worsening situations in the world today, God has given us access to supernatural victory through the Holy Ghost.
The more we pray, the more we will prevail over our enemies and our paths will keep shinning brighter and brighter until the perfect day..

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for granting me continual victory over the attacks of the enemy. As I engage the power of the Spirit through prayer, surely, I will keep mounting up to greater heights of exploits in Jesus Name.
QUOTE;
God’s word is God’s ‘prescription’ for every area of your life, let God’s word fix that situation in your life. 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; Matthew 15:21-39; Leviticus 26-27; Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:26.

As a young man, David Yonggi Cho was diagnosed with tuberculosis, which had completely destroyed his right lung. Doctors told him he had less than a month to live.
As a Buddhist, he cried out to Buddha for help, but no answer came. Helpless and hopeless, Yonggi Cho lay in a shack and waited to die. One day in desperation, he prayed “If there is anyone called God anywhere in the universe, please come and help me!”
God answered his prayer by sending a young Christian girl to come and tell him about Christ Jesus. Though Yonggi Cho angrily dismissed her, she kept coming back.
On the fifth day when she came again, this time, Yonggi Cho became convicted by the Holy Spirit and began to weep and said he wanted to know Christ. After talking to him, the young girl gave him her Bible.
After that day, he never saw her again. He didn’t know who she was, neither her name or how to locate her. As he read the Bible she had given him, and saw the miracles of Jesus, faith began to rise in his heart.
Wanting to know more about Jesus, he later located a Church where an American preacher was ministering and there, Yonggi Cho gave his life to Christ and became filled with new life and joy.
For becoming a Christian he was driven out by his Buddhist family, but the American pastor helped him to rent a small room.
Yonggi Cho continued to grow in faith and one day he had a divine encounter and visitation from Christ where he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit gave him boldness to go on the streets and tell people about Jesus. As he continued growing closer to Christ, his health rapidly improved to the point that the doctors declared him completely healed from the tuberculosis.
After attending the Assemblies of God Bible school, Yonggi Cho began his ministry in a ragged tent on a vacant lot. As the Holy Spirit began to move mightily in their midst, revival broke out and soon the tent could no longer contain the growing congregation.
A new property was purchased and a Church building erected but the crowd continued to grow until a bigger facility was needed. David Yonggi Cho eventually founded the Yoido Full Gospel Church which became the world’s largest congregation, with a membership of 830,000 by 2007.

It is amazing how from a death bed, David Yonggi Cho was raised by God and used to establish the world’s largest congregation.
The power of the Spirit is the divine wind that picks a person from the lowest point and propel him to the highest places in life. Without the movement of the Spirit every life remains dormant and stagnant. It is only by His divine activity that we can record rapid changes, growth and progress.
The power of the Spirit in a believer, which is the anointing, can be likened to oil. And just like oil will always rise above water, the anointing will always lift a child of God above the stormy waters of life.
It doesn’t matter how weak or limited a person may be, what matters is the operations of the Spirit of God in that life. No matter how gloomy the story, it can be changed to glory by the workings of the Spirit.

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.”

The more we look into God’s Word, the more we are changed from glory to glory. The Spirit of God dwells in His Word to ensure our unending progress in life.
Thus, when we are diligent students of the Word, we will always enjoy divine lifting.
As we keep our gaze on God’s Word the Spirit works to ignite in our heart the faith that overcomes the world.
Through faith, you can rise above every valley and reach mountaintops of victory.
Today, if you are at a low point or things seem stagnant in your life, you can change the story by engaging the wind of the Spirit through diligent study of the Word, fervent prayers and passionate worship..
Refuse to be stagnated or defeated, you’re not a victim, you’re the victor. By engaging the power of the Spirit you will certainly, experience a forceful positive turnaround and supernatural change of story.

PRAYER; Lord I thank You because You are forever faithful and You never fail. I know that even right now by the power of the Spirit, You are releasing supernatural faith in my heart to receive amazing promotions and inexplicable miracles in Jesus Name.
QUOTE
When you apply The Word of God, it will work for you, anywhere and anytime- WORDBITE 222.