HORM Devotional

Exodus 15:11 “Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”

DAILY READING; Luke 19:28-48; Genesis 34; Psalm 26

In July 2019, several Media outlets reported the amazing story of the resurrection of Levi Floyd.
12 years old Levi Floyd was vacationing with his family on Holden Beach, North Carolina when tragedy struck..
On the last day of their vacation on the beach, Levi, while playing in the water, dove into a wave, but never came up for air.
When his father noticed Levi’s body floating motionless, he quickly waded into the water and grabbed him. To his shock he found Levi’s body was already blue, his eyes were bulging, and bloodshot, and his pupils were fixed. After he was pulled out of the water, his aunt who was a nursing student began to administer CPR immediately as the family and others on the beach prayed for a miracle.
But despite the CPR Levi remained lifeless and there was no pulse, and it seemed there was no hope.
Two nurses who happened to be on the beach rushed to the scene and joined Levi’s aunt in administering CPR, they were alternating between pushing his chest and giving breaths. But Levi remained lifeless.
His father just started begging God and asking Jesus to have mercy. His mother began to remind God of His promises to her.
Suddenly amidst the chaos, a voice rose up in worship. It was Levi’s sister, Lily, who began singing ‘I’m gonna sing in the middle of the storm,’ Soon other children on the beach joined her and louder and louder, they sang proclaiming Jesus to be alive. As these children worshipped, things began to change and the nurses suddenly found a pulse.
Paramedics arrived and Levi was rushed to the hospital but there the doctor said there was every chance he had suffered brain damage from drowning. But as the family stood in prayer,, Levi regained full consciousness without any sign of brain damage.
Levi made a full recovery and suffered no long-term effects from drowning. Everyone who saw Levi dead on the beach that day, knew they had witnessed an amazing miracle of praise. When praise began to go up, God’s power had come down and brought Levi back to life.

Indeed there is something about praise that instantly moves God into action. In any desperate situation, you can immediately turn the tide of the battle in your favor through praise.
As we praise God, we create a Heavenly atmosphere where miracles happen.
Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of His people.
The atmosphere of praise is the supernatural atmosphere of the presence of God. When, we begin to praise God and He steps into the scene, every devil will be compelled to bow out.
It is not the greatness of a challenge that defeats a man but his attitude towards it. While those who complain, complicate their matter, those who praise are raised up out of it.
The mystery of praise destroys every misery and breaks every yoke.
Praise confounds the enemy and releases the power of God for our deliverance.
Praise never loses a battle. Whenever you are faced with a situation you don’t know how to handle, switch to praise. Anything and everything is capable of changing when you engage the power of praise.
King David, who praised God seven times a day, understood its secret. David committed himself to praise God at all times no matter the situation. He recognized that by praising God, you make room for Him to come and change the negative situation in your favor. Indeed all things work together for good to them that love God, and they that love Him are those that praise Him.
Anytime you are going through a challenging situation, go into clamorous praise and you will engage God’s power for a forceful turnaround
The moment your voice of praise lifts to Heaven, you gain God’s attention.
And as God arises for your deliverance, all enemies will be scattered.
The enemies of sickness, afflictions, financial troubles etc, are no match for the power of praise.
As we come to the end of the month of September today, it is a good place to engage the power of praise. Let us bless God for His faithfulness and goodness that has brought us thus far in this year.
Truly, if it had not been for the Lord on our side where would we be?
As we give God worthy praise, He will arise to perfect all that concerns us. He will deliver us from troubles and fight our battles, seen and unseen.
As we make the choice to magnify the Lord continually, certainly we shall receive fearful blessings and experience tearful testimonies, obstacles will turn into miracles and every mourning will turn into dancing for us..

PRAYER: Lord, I choose to praise You at all times, and in every situation. I know You are too faithful to fail and even right now You are bringing a positive, dramatic turnaround to my story 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.

Romans 13:11 [NLT] ‘This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed..’

DAILY READING – Luke 19:1-27; Genesis 32-33; Psalm 25

The American Civil War was America’s bloodiest war which was fought between the Northern and Southern states of America.
At the beginning of the war, in 1861, the Union Army, which was the army for the Northern states, suffered a shocking defeat in their first major battle.
As they prepared for another battle it became necessary for every of their soldier to be alert. The situation was so serious that when one of their soldiers fell asleep on his duty post, he was sentenced to death.
This soldier named William Scott, became famous for being sentenced to death for sleeping
At this time, the city of Washington was in danger. Enemy troops were 10 miles from the capital. Scott was among the soldiers placed on sentinel duty on the outskirts of Washington.
However, he was a raw recruit who had been working on their family farm just six week earlier. He was yet to fully grasp the great importance of being alert as a soldier.
In the early morning of August 31 1861, between 3am and 4am, Scott was caught sleeping on his duty post. His commanders were outraged by the report and so decided to make him a scapegoat so that their troops would understand the precariousness of their situation, and the grave danger of sleeping on their duty post.
A court-martial convicted Scott and sentenced him to death. Scott was scheduled to be executed on September 9th 1861. However, when his story featured prominently in newspaper reports, many people appealed for his life to be spared.
On the day of his execution, Scott, trembling, was led before the firing squad. He would have received a volley of bullets in line with military discipline. But in the nick of time, his life was saved when there came a Presidential pardon for him from President Abraham Lincoln.
Afterwards, William Scott became famously known as the “Sleeping Sentinel” who was pardoned by Abraham Lincoln. He was memorialized by a poem and a silent movie was made out of his story in 1914.

While a death sentence may have seemed extreme for William Scott, every military considers it a great offence for a soldier to be caught sleeping on duty.
Truly, a soldier’s life during battle is that of constant alertness. Not knowing when or how the enemy would strike, a soldier does everything possible to stay awake while on duty.
Likewise, as soldiers of the cross, we are required to be constantly spiritually awake and alert.
Throughout the scriptures we are warned to stay vigilant. Especially, in these last perilous days on earth, we can’t afford to live carelessly. Indeed, we have entered the end-time years that are the grand climax of human civilization. And if ever there was a time to live vigilant and prepared, it is now!
In Matthew 24:48, Jesus spoke of the servant who began to live carelessly because he believed the coming of his master was still faraway, only to have his master return at a time he least expected.
Spiritually we can’t afford to go on a ‘holiday,’ not even for a moment. We must always be conscious that we are in a warfare, with an enemy who will attack at the slightest show of negligence. At the slightest breaking of the hedge he would strike.
In this end-time, the enemy is unleashing the greatest distractions to shift the focus of believers, because he knows the time is short. Indeed, the enemy is on the prowl, looking for whom to devour.

1 Peter 5:8 says “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”.

To escape the enemy’s traps, we must be sensitive to hear and quickly obey the promptings of the Spirit.
There is an urgent call to believers to awake out of spiritual slumber and not be deceived by the tempting distractions in the world.
The truth is that the ways of the world are slippery, their boundaries are continually shifting, you cannot afford to walk on such shifting sands lest you sink. Not all that glitters is gold, not all open doors are from God, some are traps in disguise. But it is only by the guidance of The Spirit that we can discern. We therefore need to strictly adhere to scriptural instructions and daily follow the leadings of The Spirit, as He guides us on the path to our glorious destiny. No matter where we are or what we do, we must always keep in mind that there is a race set before us. And we will be judged according to how well we focus on our Heavenly goal.
Let us therefore awake from every slumber, set aside, every distraction and all that weighs us down and by God’s grace, run our race with patience, looking unto Jesus The author and finisher of our faith.

PRAYER: Lord, please enable me by Your grace to always escape every trap of the enemy, as I press forward on this race of destiny. No matter what comes my way, by Your grace I will never fall in Jesus Name.
QUOTE
In the middle of the enemy’s worst, God still proves Himself to be merciful. WORDBITE 222

Psalm 46:1-2 ‘God is by our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.’

DAILY READING; Luke 18:18-43; Genesis 31; Psalm 24

When Pastor Diego Galvan, left the U.S, with excitement to serve God as a missionary in Mexico, he found himself confronted by the dark and dangerous world of drug cartels.
Diego Galvan woke up on his first morning in the city of Tijuana in Mexico to find someone beheaded in the street.
This was a foreboding sign of what was to come but the fearless missionary was determined to serve God despite the surrounding dangers.
In the first house he lived, a man was killed in his yard by revenge-seekers from the drug cartels. So he decided to move. At his second house, another man involved with drug dealers was killed on Pastor Diego’s doorstep. He moved again and this time he found that his next-door neighbor was a drug lord.
When he got opportunity to preach to the wife of the drug lord, she got saved, but this infuriated her husband, who beat her up badly.
When Pastor Diego went to their house to speak to the drug lord about beating his wife and preach the Gospel to him, the man began plotting the pastor’s death. However, before he could carry out this plan, God arrested him. The words of the pastor so haunted him that he eventually sent for pastor Diego, who led him to Christ.
But members of the Cartel were unhappy about the drug lord’s transformation and sought to assassinate the pastor.
One day, a gang of hit men came to kill him and his neighbor, the converted drug lord. Pastor Diego called the Mexican police, but when the cops arrived and saw the high-ranking cartel members, they panicked and refusing to have a full-blown confrontation, they soon left.
Surrounded by men with assault rifles, pastor Diego looked on to God for deliverance. As he told the men he was a pastor and God would judge their actions, somehow the men couldn’t shoot, but rather jumped back into their vehicles and left.
Pastor Diego miraculously survived few other close shaves with the drug cartel before eventually relocating back to the U.S. In all these confrontations God remained faithful and protected him from all harm.

We can always trust the faithfulness of God. He knows how to show up when we need Him most. We are never alone in the journey of destiny because God is always our refuge and ever present help in times of trouble. Our safety and security are not in the hands of any police or government, but in God’s hands alone. And as long as He is with us, we are guaranteed divine protection from evil.

Psalm 23:4-5: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Though we may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will always emerge triumphant through God’s abiding Presence. As we maintain strong faith in God, He will never allow us to suffer defeat or shame.

2 Corinthians 2:14 says: ‘Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ..’

Whatever you may be facing today, be assured that God has destined you to emerge triumphant. Though it may seem as if Pharaoh and his army are bearing down on you, God has a plan to deliver you and drown that Pharaoh in the red sea for your sake. No matter how fearful the battle, God is watching over you and organizing your rescue. He will certainly see you through and give you the victory at last.
In these perilous times, the Blood of Jesus is our assurance of safety and guarantee of protection.
When we plead the Blood in the face of sickness, calamities or danger, the power contained in the Blood will always arise for our deliverance!
As we daily plead the Blood, it acts as a shield around us and our household. Certainly, through the power in the Blood of Jesus, no evil shall befall us and no plague can come near our dwelling place.

PRAYER: Father, I know that my life is hid in Christ, and Christ is hid in You, therefore I am totally protected. I thank You Father, for always delivering me from the plots and schemes of the wicked in Jesus’ Name.
QUOTE:
When you obey God’s instruction you are delivered from destruction – WORDBITE 222

Proverbs 1:33 ‘But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

DAILY READING – • Luke 18:1-17; Genesis 29:31-30:43; Psalm 23

The annual Global Terrorism Index provides a comprehensive resource on global terrorism trends. According to their 2022 report, Sub-Saharan Africa has emerged as the epicentre of global terrorist attacks.
Terrorism on the continent of Africa has been rising sharply over the decade. From Somalia to Mali and Nigeria to Mozambique, the continent has repeatedly witnessed grisly acts of violence targeting its civilian populations..
Following military defeats in Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State or ISIS, shifted its attention to Africa. With the rapid demise of their Caliphate in Syria, their fighters shifted many of their operations from the Middle East to Africa.
Now the marketplace of violence on the continent is saturated with a variety of armed groups which are jockeying for influence, power, and access to resources in Africa. This has led to increased death from terrorism rising ten times in affected regions. Indeed the violence has been unprecedented and the humanitarian consequences are alarming .
Today, Sub-Saharan Africa account for 48% of total global deaths from terrorism. The threat of terrorism has grown so much on the continent that by 2020 seven of the top 10 countries in the world in terms of terrorism risk were in Africa.
Outside of Africa, there has also been growing security concerns in other nations. With Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine, fears of a possible Third World War has led many Western nations to beef up their own security. Reportedly, fifty percent of all research scientists are now involved in arms development and global military expenditures has risen to trillions of U.S. dollars.

There is no doubt that we are living at the end of the Church Age where the world would experience many upheavals and turmoils. Jesus Himself prophesied about the state of the world in the last days. In Matthew 24:7 and 8, He said, “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
Jesus called this period in time the “beginning of sorrows” The word “sorrows” is the Greek word oodin, and it specifically describes the labor pains a pregnant woman experiences before she gives birth.
By using this word, Jesus was teaching that as we approach the end of the Church Age, the world will begin to feel stress and pressure like a woman in labour.
A woman’s birth pains start slowly then gradually grow stronger and stronger. Likewise, as the world comes closer and closer to the end of the age, the pains in the world will become greater. .
However, we must not let the noises or clamors throw us into a state of panic.
Jesus admonished us in Matthew 24:6, “See that ye are not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”
So don’t let negative news reports get you troubled or think there is no hope. With the worsening conditions in the world, the devil would be actively trying to make believers fearful about the future. We must resist the urge to live in worry and apprehension which would hinder the fulfilling of our God-given callings and destinies.
We are a people of faith, and we know the end of the story before it even begins! We must therefore keep our eyes on the Lord and our minds on the Word because we have a faith that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4)!
Our focus at this time is to live ready and do everything possible to enable others hear the Gospel and also be prepared.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 says ‘For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,’

Noah obtained salvation at a time when the world was filled with the same violence and wickedness that we see today. Jesus said that the last days on earth will be like the days of Noah, therefore just as Noah escaped, let us begin to seek our own ark of safety which is going deeper in our relationship with God.
Certainly, as we walk in obedience to God’s Word, and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit we will live in divine security and be exempted from the evils of these perilous end-times.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to take heed to the instructions of Scriptures. Please help me to keep focused on knowing You more and more, and continually seek You with all of my heart so as to live in victory and safety in these last days in Jesus Name.
QUOTE;
God protects us and shields us when we are being led by Him. WORDBITE 222

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Deuteronomy 31:6 ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee’

DAILY READING; • • Luke 17; Genesis 29:1-30; Psalm 22

Genghis Khan was the founder of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history.
Genghis Khan, who reigned in the 13th century, was adept at using fear and manipulation to defeat his enemies and expand his territory.
During night battles, Genghis Khan would order each of his soldiers to light five fires. His army which was only around 40,000, would then appear to be at least up to 140,000, giving the illusion of an overwhelming army. This deceived and intimidated his enemies.
In the battlefields, his army became infamous for using specially designed arrows with a small hole in the side, making terrifying whistling sounds, that caused rivals to think thousands more arrows were being fired.
On other occasions Genghis would order spare horses to be ridden far back from the ranks, giving the impression of oncoming reinforcements. He also had objects tied to the tails of his horses, so that riding on open and dry fields raised a cloud of dust that gave the enemy the impression of great numbers.
As his armies approached a city for battle, Genghis Khan sent soldiers to discreetly enter the city to spread rumours and stories about the size, brutality and sheer might that Genghis Khan’s armies possessed. This coercion also were used to sow the seeds of internal discord, effectively triggering internal rebellions which weakened the oppositions’ resolve.
Genghis Khan employed these propaganda campaigns to strike a deep sense of dread and fear into his opponents and weakened the oppositions, paving the way for him to easily win battles.

Through employing deception in warfare, Genghis Khan was able to defeat many of his enemies and expanded his empire.
Likewise, spiritually the enemy uses deception and lies to create fear and defeat people in battle.
Oftentimes, he makes problems appear bigger and greater than they actually are, so as to keep people living in fear and intimidation.
But as believers, no matter how big any problem may seem, we already have the guarantee of victory through faith in God’s Word which is the victory that overcomes the world.
To reach your potential, you have to become skilled at dismissing the deceptions of the enemy. The only tools he has are lies, that’s why he’s called the father of lies. There is no truth in him. The scripture says, “He goes about as a roaring lion”. That means he’s loud, he’ll roar negative thoughts, but then he’s all bark and no bite. The only power he has is the power you give him by believing his lies.
However, if you have committed to fill your mind, your heart and your life with truth of God s Word, there is not a weapon formed against you that will stand. No lie will be able to stop your onward progress.
When Nehemiah received a mandate from God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, he and the Jews began this work with excitement and zeal and the people worked with all their heart.
However, soon after, the enemy began to bring negative propaganda of impending attacks which made the people so afraid and discouraged that they abandoned the work, saying “We cannot rebuild the wall.”
However Nehemiah encouraged the people to keep their gaze on God, and not on the fearful propaganda of their enemies. He told them `Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome.’” (Nehemiah 4:14)
As a result of putting their focus on God, the same people who had earlier cried “we cannot rebuild the wall” completed the work in 52 days.
Just like Nehemiah, God has called many of us to build and accomplish great things in life. But sometimes, we may face the enemies of fear, depression, sickness, insecurity, etc.
Whatever you may face, always know that you have the victory through knowledge of God’s Word.
Daniel 11:32, ” The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.’
When you know your God, you will live in faith and victory. Indeed through continually filling our hearts with the truth of God’s Word, we will be ever victorious over the enemy and accomplish great things for God’s Kingdom..

PRAYER: Lord, please grant me the grace to build up strong faith and confidence in You through committing to a lifestyle of diligent study of Your Word.. Thank You Lord for always giving me the victory in Jesus Name.
QUOTE;
God is preparing you for the season He prepared for your breakthrough WORDBITE 222.

Malachi 3:17 “And they shall be Mine,” saith the Lord of hosts, “in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son who serveth him’.

DAILY READING – Luke 16; Genesis 27:46-28:22; Psalm 21

The Phoenician city of Tyre, on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, was one of the most ancient and wealthiest cities in history. During the reigns of King David and King Solomon, Hiram, king of Tyre, supplied building materials and skilled labor for important structures in Israel.
However due to its transgressions against God, Ezekiel prophesied that many nations would come against Tyre and that Nebuchadnezzar would besiege the city. He also said that Tyre would be broken down and the stones, timber, and soil would be thrown in “the midst of the water;” and the city would become a “place for spreading nets;” and would never be rebuilt.
All these prophecies came to pass. The siege of Nebuchadnezzar took place within a few months of Ezekiel’s prophecy as Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre for thirteen years and destroyed the mainland city, leaving only the island city.
Also as Ezekiel had prophesied, history records that many nations attacked Tyre including Babylon, Syria, Egypt, Rome, Greece, Armenia, and Persia.
Ezekiel’s prophecy that Tyre would be destroyed and its building material cast into the midst of the waters was fulfilled when the army of Alexander the great carried the stones from mainland city of Tyre into the seas to form a bridge that enabled them to reach the island city of Tyre, which they utterly destroyed and burned.
Again Ezekiel prophesied that the city of Tyre would “never be rebuilt” and “be no more forever”. This was fulfilled by the fact that the location of the ancient mainland city of Tyre, is believed today to be buried under the Mediterranean Sea and its location, over the course of the last 2,500 years, has become lost to modern knowledge.
Ezekiel’s acutely accurate prediction of the destruction of the city of Tyre is found in Ezekiel Chapter 26 and was written in 597 B.C. It remains an outstanding and amazing proof of Biblical fulfillment of prophecy

Predictive prophecy stands as one of the most viable proofs of the Bible’s accuracy. Truly, the Word of God stands sure forever. Whatever God has said, will eventually come to pass. And just as past prophesies have come to pass, so also end-time prophesies are coming to pass in our times.
Today we are living in the last part of the last days. However, in the struggle to live our daily lives, it sometimes seems farfetched to think that the end is really close. But that is the enemy’s plan; to keep men distracted and focused on running after earthly things while their eternal destiny hangs in the balance.
Jesus said in Luke 21 that the end of the world would come upon people as a snare. That means many will be taken by surprise, because they were not really expecting it. Jesus also said that it will be like the days of Noah, where many people were eating, drinking, building and marrying until the flood came.
We truly need to live ready. We need to live in spiritual preparation by constantly studying the scriptures and drawing closer to God through intimate fellowship with the Holy Spirit. We also need to be discerning so as to understand the signs unfolding around us.
The key to exemption from the perils of the end-times is to serve God in spirit and truth. In Malachi 3:17 God says “And they shall be Mine,” saith the Lord of hosts, “in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son who serveth him.’
As sons of God in these last days, let our focus be on going after the Fathers business, which is winning souls and promoting His kingdom. By pursuing God’s will and purpose, He will spare us from the plagues of the end-times and bless us exceedingly, because He is indeed a rewarder of those that diligently seek and serve Him.

PRAYER; Father thank You for the grace not be derailed in these end-times by the many distractions on earth, but rather I shall focus in this endtime on seeking and serving You more than ever before in Jesus Name.
QUOTE;
Faith is more than just believing, it is acting upon The Word that you believe. WORDBITE 222.

Matthew 24:14: ―’And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

DAILY READING –Luke 15; Genesis 27:1-45; Psalm 20

In Matthew 24, Jesus listed specific number of signs of the nearness of His coming.
The very last sign Jesus said would occur before His return was the preaching of the Gospel all over the world. Jesus clearly said that when the Gospel is preached unto all the nations, “then shall the end come.” Therefore if we want to know how close we are to the end, we must look at how well the Gospel is penetrating and reaching the nations.
In the last few decades, there has been gradual fulfillment of this prophesy of Matthew 24:14, with the technological advances of television and radio and other means of mass communication. Through these mediums, it has been possible to reach hundreds of millions of people with the Gospel message.
However, even with the technological advancement, it has not been possible to reach all countries of the world because many nations have resisted the preaching of the Gospel. For instance, China, with one quarter of the world’s people, still does not allow freedom of the Gospel. Many Islamic nations forbid religious freedom and their citizens risk the death penalty for changing religion.
But now the Internet is changing everything. It is much harder for governments to control it. Today, through the internet the Gospel message is gaining access into places where Christians could never have reached, bringing faster fulfillment of the prophesy of the Gospel being preached all over the world! This then gives us a good idea of how close we are to the return of Jesus:

Truly, we are living in unusual times and there is just a little window of time left. As believers we are to look up and be ready because Jesus is coming soon.
To prepare for the Lord’s coming we need to live always alert, because it can happen at any moment. Though we don’t know when, we ought to live as though it was today!
Each night as we lay our heads on our pillow, we need to sleep with the awareness, that perhaps it will be the night when the Lord returns like a thief in the night to take us home.
When we wake up in the morning, we need to start our day with the awareness that perhaps before the day is over, there will be a sudden interruption and the rapture could occur.
For a Christian to live in these last days, without serious expectancy of the Lord’s coming, calls for self-examination.
In Romans 13 the apostle Paul warned Christians to wake up and stop living in denial about the fact that some of them were actually sleeping spiritually. He wrote, “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (verse 11 NKJV).
The story of Noah and the ark shows the necessity of being ready ahead of time. In other words, it would be too late to prepare when the flood begins.
Every day, unfolding end-time events are warning us to hear and to heed prophecies and to be ready.
The security of our destiny is to ensure we remain spiritually sensitive, so as not to be caught unawares.
Even while we serve in the Church and get involved in various activities, we must ensure we are diligently investing time daily in our personal spiritual preparation.
Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”
Truly, these are the days of spiritual soberness.
Jesus said in Luke 21: 36 that we should pray always so as to be accounted worthy to escape the things coming on the earth.
As we remain always spiritually vigilant, surely, we shall be able to escape the perils of these last days, and be accounted among the victorious saints.

PRAYERS. Lord please grant me the grace to begin to live ready while there is still time. Please help me to make the needed spiritual investments in fervent prayers and study of Your Word so that I can live victorious in these end-times in Jesus Name.
QUOTE:
God is preparing you for the season He prepared for your breakthrough WORDBITE 222.

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2 Corinthians 4:17 [NLT] “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!”

DAILY READING;; Luke 14:25-35; Genesis 26; Psalm 19

Lars Skrefsrud, was an ex-convict who became Norway’s Famous Missionary.
Lars was serving four years in prison for theft, when a revival movement began sweeping through their city. This revival reached even the prisoners. When Lars heard the Gospel being preached, his heart was pricked and he repented of his sins and surrendered his life to Christ.. Afterwards, he read Christian books and sought to know God more.
Gifted with the ability to master languages, he learned English and German while in prison.
After his release from prison, the next year, in 1862, Lars Skrefsrud asked the Norwegian Missionary Society to send him out as a missionary. But the mission leaders in Stavanger, Norway turned him down. They didn’t want an ex-con representing them on the foreign field.
Lars would not give up because he believed Christ had transformed his life. When the Norwegian Missionary Society rejected him, he turned to the Gossner Mission Society in Germany. At this time, the German language he had learned while in prison came in handy.
This German Baptist mission accepted Lars and gave him the training he needed and sent him to India where he worked among the Santal people who lived north of Calcutta.
He later made friends with another missionary and they formed the Santal Mission. Their work prospered and by 1890, Santal mission had 6,000 baptized church members.
Lars Skrefsrud translated the Bible into the Santal tongue and produced a hymnal using native tunes. Determined to make the Santalese self-sufficient in agriculture, he founded schools that taught farming, animal care, carpentry and other useful skills. Lars Skrefsrud made a huge difference in the life of the people and brought thousands of them to Christ. This ex-convict who was thought unfit to be a missionary eventually became one of Norway’s most famous missionaries..

Certainly, God uses the base things of this life to confound the wise. He will use the weak to confound the strong..
When men wrote Lars off because he was an ex-convict, he refused to write himself off. He chose to trust in God and eventually his life became a sign and a wonder.
Truly, the Heavenly race before us is an individual race and we must nott let anyone hinder us from finishing our course.
You don’t let how someone treated you become the fullstop in your life story. People may reject you or think less of you, but they don’t have the final say over your life, God alone does. Learn to put their negative opinions behind you, and forge ahead to become all that God has destined for you.
People often sit on the sidelines of life’s race, nursing their wounds, not moving forward because of what they’ve been through. But that is not your case as a child of God. You have a victorious destiny in Christ: You may be challenged, but refuse to be defeated.
No matter what life throws your way, get back up and keep moving forward, there is a glorious destiny ahead of you.
If you face a disappointing situation, refuse to sit in the ash and bemoan your fate. Rather get up and keep pressing forward.
Someone said life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you take it or react to it.
Therefore, do not allow people’s actions determine the outcome of your life.
When men think it’s over with you, that’s when God likes to take over and make a show of your life. He likes to overturn men’s expectations so that they will know there is God in Heaven who rules in the affairs of men.
He can change your story in one day, just like He did for Joseph, taking him from the prison to the palace overnight! It doesn’t matter how stagnant any destiny may appear, it is never too late for God to turn t around.
The Bible says in Job 14 that though the stump of a tree may be old in the ground , through the scent of water it will bud again.
Likewise, there’s no closed case with God.
Indeed the grace of God can so color your life that no one sees your scars. Rather what would be seen is the glory of God all around you.
Certainly, God knows how to turn your mourning into dancing, to put off the sackcloth, and gird you with gladness. [Psalm 30:11-12].
Today, as we keep blessing Him and keep judging Him faithful, surely God will cause us to triumph over every trial and give us beauty in the place of ashes.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for reversing every disappointing situation into a blessing in my life. I know that even right now, You are causing all things to work together for my good in Jesus Name.
QUOTE
Faith is more than just believing, it is acting upon The Word that you believe. WORDBITE 222

Deuteronomy 28:13 ‘And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God.’

DAILY READING; Luke 14:1-24; Genesis 25; Psalm 18

Do Won Chang was born into a poor family in Seoul, South Korea, in 1954.
He started work at a young age in coffee shops. Before he clocked 25 years, he already had his own coffee delivery business. However, the harsh economic situation in South Korea forced him to seek greener pastures.
In 1981, he relocated to the U.S with his 18-year old bride and his parents to stay with his sister at Los Angeles.
As a Christian, Do Won Chang desired to follow God’s plan for him in America and so he went to the top of a mountain to pray. As he prayed, he said God told him he should open a store and that it would be successful.
Do Won Chang initially thought this success would come from the coffee industry, where he already had a vast experience. He began his first job at a coffee shop where he was paid $3 per hour. He decided to augment his income by working at two more jobs: at a gas station during the day and cleaning offices at night. This increased his work time from 8 hours daily to 19 hours in a day. His wife also supported him, working as a hairdresser to make ends meet.
At the gas station where Do Won Chang worked, he would shyly ask his customers who drove expensive cars “What do you do?”. From the answers he got, he found that many of them were in the clothing business.
So, he took another step of faith and got a job at a clothing store, where he was determined to learn the ropes on merchandising and marketing.
At his new office, he worked as if it was his own business and this impressed his boss.
After three years in the U.S, Do Won Chang and his wife managed to save $11,000. On 16th April 1984, they opened their first Fashion store called Fashion 21 in Los Angeles. While his former boss made only $30,000 in annual sales, Do Won Chang’s clothes shop hit $700,000 in its first year.
The business did so well that Do Won Chang and his wife opened a new store every six months. The company’s name was later changed to Forever 21.
By 2016, Forever 21 had more than 790 stores across 48 countries, a staff strength of 43,000 employees and an estimated $43.8 billion in global sales. Do Won Chang and his wife became listed among The Forbes list of wealthiest Americans.
They openly attribute their success to God and boldly declare their faith by printing John 3:16 on their shopping bags. They endeavor to run their business through divine counsel and by daily seeking God in prayer, they get the business ideas and insights that propel their business forward.

God guides the steps of His children who seek Him in prayer.
When we commit our lives to the Lord and daily seek His divine direction, He leads us to success and exploits in our endeavors.
Every redeemed soul is a potential star.
In Revelation 22:16 Jesus declared ‘I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star’
Just as Jesus came as the bright and morning star, we are ordained to be stars on the earth.
However, it takes drawing closer to God who is the Father of lights, for our star to shine.
It is only when we come to God, that we will begin to manifest our redemptive heritage of being the head and not the tail; above only and not beneath.
As you diligently seek God, though you may initially lack needed resources, your connection to the Almighty God will elevate you. He is the God of supernatural miracles, who is able to crush insurmountable obstacles and turn around any situation.
It doesn’t matter how small your beginning may be, if you give God first place, your later end shall surely be great. It is only a matter of time.
When God is for you, though the chips may seem stacked against you, certainly, you will break through the barriers and limitations. Through faith in God, you can overcome all the adversity thrown at you and wildly surpass all expectations.
When we put God first in our affairs, He goes before us to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones and convert barriers into blessings.
In Isaiah 45:2 God says ” I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.”
The truth is that none of us can overcome insurmountable odds by our own strength, but when we engage the barrier -breaking, yoke destroying power of the Omnipotent God, the obstacles on our path become miracles.
Therefore, as we run our race on earth, let us endeavor to always honor God and make Him our greatest priority in life. As we do, He will catapult us far ahead of our peers and cause us to stand out on the earth.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to honor You continually with my life and make You my greatest priority at all times. As I do, I thank You for enabling me to arrive at the glorious heights You have destined for me in Jesus’ Name.
QUOTE:
The purpose of prosperity is for you to proclaim the Gospel. – WORDBITE 222.

Galatians 5:1 ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

DAILY READING – Luke 13:18-35; Genesis 24; Psalm 17

The “Slave Bible” is a rare Bible from the 1800s that was given to American slaves.
It was published without the Bible passages that could encourage slaves to seek freedom.
About 90 percent of the Old Testament is missing and 50 percent of the New Testament is missing. While there are 1,189 chapters in a standard Bible, the slave Bible contains only 232.
The passages that could have prompted rebellion were removed. The Slave Bible doesn’t include Moses leading the Israelites to freedom, but it does include Joseph’s enslavement in Egypt. Slave masters, when preaching to the slaves tried to portray Joseph as someone who “accepts his lot in life, keeps his faith in God and in the end is rewarded for it,”
They tried to twist passages of the Slave Bible to encourage the slaves to be content with their condition of bondage.
Passages that emphasized equality between groups of people were removed.. This included “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). The Slave Bible also doesn’t contain the Book of Revelation, which tells of a new heaven and Earth in which evil will be punished.
In contrast, one of the passages that remained was one that proponents of slavery loved to cite: “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ” (Ephesians 6:5).
This abridged version of the Bible published in 1807 was titled, ‘Parts of the Holy Bible, selected for the use of the Negro Slaves, in the British West-India Islands’
Today, it is on display at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.

Just as the Slave Bible was used to keep slaves in bondage, ignorance is used by the enemy to keep people in spiritual slavery and bondage.
The Word of God is the illuminator that shatters the oppression of darkness. But the enemy uses every possible means to stop people from gaining access to the truth in the Word.
Knowledge is your ticket to freedom. When you know the truth, you will refuse every bondage and rebel against the enemy’s attempt to keep you in oppression.
As blood-bought covenant children of the living God, no force in hell is permitted to afflict or oppress us.
But due to lack of understanding, people remain bound in oppression and today many are dying unnecessarily because they lack a personal revelation of the truth that sets free.
Psalm 107:20 says God has sent His Word to heal and deliver us from every destruction, but then Hosea 4:6 also says that God’s people perish because of lack of knowledge.
Knowledge of the truth sets free from every form of bondage. Through the power of knowledge, you can successfully wage war against the principalities, powers and spiritual wickedness fighting your destiny (Ephesians 6:12).
Indeed when we are armed for the battle with the Word of God, all the hosts of hell must flee before us. Sickness and disease must flee, poverty and disfavor will flee.
You are not born again to suffer again. You have been born again to live a glorious new life in Christ Jesus.
Christ made the amazing sacrifice of paying the ultimate price for our sins.
By the power in His Blood, we have been delivered from every negative condition of life. Jesus died young that you might live long. His blood was shed so that your blood will never be shed. He became poor so that you through His poverty might be made rich. But it takes spiritual knowledge to take your portion.
Therefore determine today to seek for depth of knowledge from the Word needed to set you free to live a fruitful and fulfilling life. You have only one life and there is no duplicate or spare. Therefore make every effort to ensure that the sacrifice of Jesus cannot be in vain in your life. The price has been paid and you are free, affliction is not permitted to arise a second time in your life. Therefore refuse to be entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:1 ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

The victory we have through the Blood cannot be disputed, refuted, refused or resisted by the accuser of the brethren. We have truly overcome him by the Blood and by the word of our testimony [Revelation 12:11].
Therefore refuse every negative report arrayed against you today. Refuse every slavery of sickness, poverty, lack of progress etc. Life is essentially a warfare. It is therefore time to engage the weapon of the Blood to secure your freedom from every captivity and oppression of the enemy.
Surely, because the Son of God has set you free, you are truly free indeed.

PRAYER: Father, I thank You for setting me free from the slavery and deceptions of the enemy through the Blood of Jesus. Surely, by the Blood, I have continual victory over every bondage and affliction in Jesus Name.
QUOTE :
Nothing liberates like truth, the truth you know and act upon will set you free.- – WORDBITE 222