HORM Devotional

I Corinthians 9:16; “For though I preach the gospel I have nothing to glory, for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”’

DAILY READING; • 1 Corinthians 6; 1 Kings 19; Amos 3:3-4:3

On November 1, 1887, William Borden was born as heir to the Borden family fortune. Yet, William was so passionate about serving God that he walked away from a lifestyle of opulence to become a missionary.
As a young boy, William gave his heart in full surrender to Christ. In 1904, for his high school graduation present, William Borden’s parents gave him a trip around the world. As he traveled through Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, William felt a growing burden for the world’s hurting people and there was birthed in him the desire to be a missionary.
In 1905, he began studying at Yale University and during his first semester, he began a small morning prayer group. By the end of his first year, about 150 students were meeting weekly for Bible study and prayer. The number eventually grew to 1,300 students meeting for prayers.
Borden’s used his money to serve God and extended outreaches to widows and orphans and the disabled. His desire to rehabilitate drunks led him to found the Yale Hope Mission.
Upon graduation from Yale, Borden turned down some high-paying job offers and later sailed for China to begin missionary work. Because he was hoping to work with Chinese Muslims, he stopped first in Egypt to study Arabic. While there, he contracted spinal meningitis. Within a month, 25-year-old William Borden was dead.
News of William Borden’s death was carried by nearly every American newspaper as a wave of sorrow went round the nation.
But Borden’s untimely death wasn’t a waste as he had invested his short life in God’s service. In the back of his Bible was found written these words “No reserves” “No retreats,” and “No regrets.”

With all his wealth, Borden could have ended up living the flamboyant, hedonistic lifestyle of a young millionaire. But he chose rather to live for God and used his time and resources to make a great difference. He seemed to realize he did not have all the time in the world and promptly went about the Father’s business and achieved so much in his short lifetime.
A man can run after pleasures, have all the money in the world and end up with an empty life of no value and no impact.
What matters most is a life lived to serve God and bless humanity.
We must place more value upon God’s calling over the mundane pursuits of life. God will judge each of us according to how well we followed His plan, not our own plans. We are to follow His vision, and not our ambition.
As believers, one way we live a life of impact is by embracing the urgency to preach the Gospel to a dying world. It is a mission that must fill us with holy zeal.
Apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 9:16, “For though I preach the gospel I have nothing to glory, for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”

Indeed necessity is laid upon us to proclaim liberty to the captives. It is a burden we each should take personally and channel our time, energy and resources towards its pursuit.
It is clear that we are living in the very last days and we can no longer afford to be complacent.
It is not just enough for us to warm the pews in Church, our lives must burn with passion towards the service of God.
Certainly, in this last days, lukewarm Christianity will not do, we need fiery zeal and blazing passion for God to be able to make a difference in the world.
With the gross darkness coming upon the earth, there’s an urgency for us to shine our lights to draw men to Christ. It is time for our spiritual fire to burn brightly.
Spending time in God’s Word is what sustains our fire because it is the entrance of the Word that gives light.
And as we passionately seek God’s kingdom, certainly, we will experience supernatural overflow that will establish us as men and women of great impact to our world.

PRAYER: Lord, please grant me the grace and passion to seek after Your kingdom first. As I pursue Your vision for my life more than personal ambitions, I thank You for Your abundant blessings in Jesus Name.

QUOTE;
God protects and shields us when we are being led by Him. – WORDBITE 222.

Jude 1:22 ‘And of some have compassion, making a difference: ‘

DAILY READING; • 1 Corinthians 5; 1 Kings 18; Amos 2:1-3:2

At 29,000 feet, Mount Everest is the world’s highest peak. Unfortunately, in an attempt to climb it, some people die in the process.
On Mount Everest, there is a realm called the death zone, which is 26,000 feet above. There, it is very cold and so deprived of oxygen that it’s not compatible with human life. In this area many mountain climbers have died.
Some of these victims could have survived, but often no other climber was willing to stop and help them because they didn’t want to give up their dream of reaching the top of Everest.
In 2006, many News outlets reported the unusual story of an American named Daniel Mazur, who had almost reached the top of Everest, yet abandoned his dream so as to rescue a British climber, Lincoln Hall who was left for dead.
After reaching the top of Everest, Lincoln Hall was on his way down, when he suffered from altitude sickness and lost consciousness. He was left for dead on the mountain by his guides and the next day, his crew released a statement announcing his death. Left alone, Hall spent the night on the mountain with no hat, gloves or oxygen bottles, miraculously in night he woke up feeling disoriented and hallucinating.
The next day, Daniel Mazur and his climbing group were on their way up when they came across Hall, who was quite weak.
As Daniel and his team tried to help Hall to safety, other climbers who passed by at that moment refused to stop and assist them.
Though Daniel and two men with him were very close to reaching the summit, they sacrificed their goal, so that Lincoln Hall could live. They spent many hours bringing Hall down from the mountain.
Interestingly, Lincoln Hall had been rescued, just few feet from the place where another climber, David Sharp, had died only days before. His death had ignited much controversy and public outcry because while he lay dying, other climbers had passed him with none stopping to help him not wanting to risk giving up on their own Everest glory. Indeed many climbers are so ambitious about reaching the peak of Mount Everest that they would leave struggling or dying trekkers to their fate.

In the story of the Good Samaritan, the priest, and the Levite saw a man left for dead and took to the other side of the road. But when the Samaritan came by and saw him, he stopped and took care of him.
Often times, like the priest and Levite, people tend to take the other side of the road when they see someone in need.

It’s tempting to go through life focused only on ourselves, our goals and our dreams, not caring about what is going on in other people’s lives. But when we make the sacrifice of helping others, God will always take care of us.
It is God’s will that we bear each other’s burden by looking beyond our own needs to be a blessing.
We all have hearts of compassion that God wants to work through to reach people. When we open up our hearts, we can become the channel of God’s miracle to others.
There are people we know who are struggling with negative medical reports, family problems, financial troubles etc. An encouraging phone call to them could be the sign they need from God that things are going to work out well. Taking few minutes to pray with them can make all the difference in their lives..
Most of the people that come our way in life are not by accident. God put them there on purpose and He’s counting on us to make a difference.
There are unbelievers around us who are on their way to hell. We can make a huge difference in their eternal destiny by preaching to them and praying for their salvation.
Many of us may not be able to go all around the world preaching the Gospel but we can sow financial seeds towards the spreading of the Gospel. Especially in these perilous last days, helping men’s destinies should become a burning issue in our hearts.
The world is full of hurting people, even in the Church. They need someone to reach out in love.
Today, let us receive the grace to overcome selfishness and self-centeredness and reach out to help others. Let us not love in words alone but also in deeds. Let us be physical manifestations of Jesus to the world around us.
And as we sow good seeds in love, we shall reap a harvest of overflowing blessings. What we make happen for others, God will make happen in multiplied forms in our lives.

PRAYER: Lord, I receive the grace today to begin sowing good seeds of love into the lives of people around me. As I do, I thank You Lord for causing me to reap an amazing harvest of blessings in Jesus Name.
QUOTE;
When you obey God’s instruction you are delivered from destruction. WORDBITE 222

Zechariah 4:6 “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts’”

DAILY READING – – 1 Corinthians 4; 1 Kings 17; Amos 1

Boniface Wynfrid is known in history as the Apostle of Germany and was a leading Christian figure during the 8th century.
Initially, when Boniface came as a missionary to evangelize Germany, he was met with failure. Despite his attempts, he could not turn the people away from their pagan religions to faith in Christ Jesus. Frustrated by his fruitless efforts, Boniface turned to God for help.
He realized that he could not convince the people on his own and needed an extraordinary display of God’s power. As he acknowledged his own helplessness and began to rely more on God, there was a mighty manifestation of power in his ministry.
One day Boniface announced he was going to cut down a tree known as Thor’s Oak which was dedicated to Thor, whom the Germans worshipped as the god of thunder and of war. The audacious act of cutting down a tree consecrated to Thor would demonstrate to the people that they had been worshiping a false god.
On the announced day, a crowd of pagans gathered at the tree, confident that Thor would show his power and strike down the brash missionary. As Boniface began chopping at the tree with his ax, the pagans waited for Thor to do something, but nothing happened. Then as they watched, the tree came crashing down.
Legend has it that Boniface even used wood from the tree to build a chapel. This mighty show of God’s power marked a significant turning point in Boniface’s ministry. Many of the people quickly turned to God and the Gospel spread across Germany.
Finally, what Boniface could not achieve by his own efforts was quickly realized when God showed His mighty power.

Our labour will be fruitless until we acknowledge our helplessness and turn to God for help. Everyone God has ever used to bring revival has always been men and women who realized their total dependence upon God.

Zechariah 4:6 says “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts’”

The more we come empty before God and seek the help of His Spirit, the more His anointing and power will flow in our lives.

2 Kings 4 tells the story of one of the greatest miracles from the Old Testament. The widow of the prophet needed a miracle because her sons were being taken into slavery to pay her dead husband’s debt.
Prophet Elisha asked her to bring empty vessels to be miraculously filled with oil that she could sell to offset the debt. As long as she presented empty vessels, the oil supernaturally kept flowing. But when she stopped bringing the empty vessels, the flow of the oil ceased.
As believers, we are earthen vessels and we can determine how much oil of the anointing flows in our lives by how much room we make for God.
We will experience supernatural overflow when we come before God and acknowledge our desperate need for His power.
Many times why people experience failure, defeat or lack of progress is because they are too self-dependednt. They think they can make it in life with their expertise, education, human connections or smartness. It can be easy to make projections based on our own strength or abilities. But the truth is that the arm of flesh will always fail, while God’s faithfulness never fails.
Without Christ we can do nothing, but through Him we can do all things.

Jesus says in John 15:4-5 ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.’

To see fruitfulness, we need to abide in Christ. And this we do through a lifestyle of depending on His Word, fervent prayers amd intimacy wth the Spirit. When we walk closely with Christ, we will thrive, but separated from Him, we will wither.
Certainly, with God on our side, we can never be stranded or suffer stagnation in life. God is the source of all our victories. When He is at work in our lives, we will keep moving from glory to glory.
Today, as we praise Him and acknowledge our continual need for Him, surely, He will exceed our expecations and overflow our lives with His miracles and wonders,

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to pay the necessary spiritual price so that I can experience an eruption of Your power and miracles in my life. Thank You Lord for supernatural overflow and fruitfulness in all my endeavors 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

Leviticus 6:13 “The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.”

DAILY READING; 1 Corinthians 3; 1 Kings 15:33-16:34; Joel 3

About three thousand years ago, King Solomon built a magnificent Temple to the Lord upon Mount Moriah.
At the dedication of this temple, King Solomon specifically asked God to heed the prayers of all people who came to the Temple to pray. (1-Kings 8:41-43). In the words of the prophet Isaiah, the temple was “a house of prayer for all nations.”
Remarkably, history shows that thereafter Jerusalem became the focus of the ancient world. Jerusalem was at the epicenter of Asia, Europe and Africa. Many people from these foreign lands, began to visit The Temple at Jerusalem, drawn by stories of the mighty power of God.
After Solomon’s temple was destroyed, King Herod later rebuilt it as the Second Temple.
In 20 B.C, during an expansion of the temple, Herod built a support wall which was called the Western Wall. When the Romans destroyed the second temple in 70 AD, this support wall was the only surviving part of the temple that still remained. Though the Romans scattered the Jews into 1900 years of exile, many of them kept coming back to Jerusalem to pray at the surviving Western Wall of the Temple.
Because of the centuries of endless tears, shed by Jews at this wall as they yearned for the restoration of Jerusalem, it came to be known as the “Wailing Wall”
God answered their prayers and in 1967, during the Six-Day war, Israel regained total control of the entire city of Jerusalem.
Today, the area of the Western wall has been expanded to create the Western Wall Plaza where visitors from all over the world come to pray. Many have the custom of writing prayers on pieces of paper and placing them inside crevices of the wall. There have been many stories of miraculous answers to these prayers.
Just as Solomon had desired three thousand years ago, today the site of the old Temple serves as a house of prayer for all nations..It remains open to all people from around the world, all day, all year-round.

Today, God no longer dwells in a physical temple. As believers, we are God’s mobile temple, where His Presence abides. .
Just as the ancient Temple was called a house of prayer, our bodies are designed to be a place of continuous prayer.
According to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-28 we are to ‘pray without ceasing.”

Indeed prayer is the breath of our spirit man. It is the engine room of our spiritual existence and the war room of our spiritual victories. It is the fuel that propells us forward in life.
Without the power of consistent prayer a believer’s life would be void of God’s presence, leading to powerlessness and defeats in life.
But through prayer we experience mighty manifestations of the Spirit and victories in our lives. Despite the gross darkness covering the earth in these last days, through prayer, we are able to shine as sons of God in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.
As we currently watch end time events unfold, our lives need to be ablaze with the fire of prayer, along with constantly watching in the Word..
Indeed God has designed Continuous prayers as a way for believers to escape the coming judgement in these last days.

Jesus told us in Luke 21:36, to watch and pray always, so that we may be accounted worthy to escape all the things that shall come to pass upon the earth.

Truly consistent prayers and study of the Word is a great necessity for us at this time.
We can either take the risk of wishing the flood never comes or take responsibility and begin to build our ark while we still can..
The truth is that there’s just a little window of time left. It is a window of grace and we must utilize it to get spirituallly ready.
Through the Blood of Jesus we can overcome every spiritual laxity, break the chains of sin and lukewarmness and live with spiritual fervency.
We must remember that Christ is coming for a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle.
We must therefore strive to be part of this glorious assembly by keeping our lives purified by the fire of prayer burning continually in our temple.

PRAYER: Lord, please grant me the grace to live a lifestyle of consistent prayers, study of the Word and intimate fellowship with the Spirit, so that Your Presence can abide with me always in Jesus Name.
QUOTE :
The treasures of God are never on the shallow end, but are always buried in the depth of God’s Word. It takes a personal discovery to get there. – WORDBITE 222.
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Psalm 34:5 ‘They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.’

DAILY READING – 1 Corinthians 2; 1 Kings 13; Joel 2

On 5th Feb 2012, the New York Times, carried the story of
Captain Frank Diorio, who miraculously overcame overwhelming battles in Iraq..
Captain Frank Diorio was stationed in the embattled city of Husaybah when his unit came under three days of intense attacks. On April 11, 2005, insurgents launched an attack against the Camp Gannon base in Husaybah, Iraq where Frank Diorio was in charge. The enemy fighters unleashed gun fire, grenades and explosive devices..
Their base was hit by three suicide vehicles loaded with 2,000lbs of explosives. Another two suicide vehicles loaded with explosives breached the perimeter of their bases followed by a ground attack.
These relentless attacks were the largest attack against a coalition unit in the history of the Iraq war.
During this three-day attack, Frank constantly prayed and could feel God’s presence with him in the midst of the battles.
His quick reactions and sound decisions enabled his company to fend off the insurgents, inflicting a high number of casualties on the enemy.
Miraculously, not a single Marine died under his command.. This was the case throughout his stay in Iraq, his unit were attacked 300 times and yet he never lost a soldier. In these battles, Frank said he always relied on God for divine protection.
After his safe return back to the U.S, on March 13, 2006, Diorio was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his outstanding service. He credited God’s Presence for his amazing preservation in Iraq.

David was the king that fought the greatest battles in ancient Israel, yet he was never once wounded. God’s presence was the secret of his preservation.
As believers, we may sometimes go through a season of overwhelming battles.
But no matter what happens, we can always trust the faithfulness of God to see us through. He knows how to show up when we need Him most. As long as His Presence surrounds us, though we may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we shall fear no evil.
Though you may walk through the fire and the water, God will preserve you from trouble. He will cover your head in battle and give you the victory.

In Isaiah 43:2 God says, ‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you’ (The Amplified Bible).

This verse makes it clear that even in the worst of situations, God is always there
When you face battles greater than you, do not be afraid nor be dismayed because the battle is not yours, but the Lord’s.
If today you are facing a medical diagnosis or financial report that seems overwhelming, rather than fear, let God’s Word dominate your heart. Through in-depth study of the Word, you will connect to the faith that quenches every fiery dart of the enemy.
As you stand strong in faith, God will turn your battlefield into your blessing field.
Truly, we serve Jehovah, the Man of war. He is the mighty Man in battle. He has never lost a battle and never will.
As we keep looking to Him, we will never suffer defeat or shame.

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

Looking into God’s Word imparts into our heart faith which gives us the audacity and tenacity to face giants. It was faith in God that made David to take a sling and go after Goliath, when the whole army of Israel was running away from him. As long as you have faith, you will overcome the world and its troubles. .
Whatever you may be facing today, be assured that God has destined you to emerge triumphant.
Just keep praising and keep blessing Him for His faithfulness. Surely, as you have put your trust in the Lord, you shall never be ashamed.

PRAYER: Lord, Please help me to maintain a praise-full lifestyle, no matter what comes my way. I know that indeed You are too faithful to fail me and even right now Your grace is at work in my life to turn every mourning into dancing for me in Jesus Name.
QUOTE
When we fight by God’s help we are sure of victory. WORDBITE 222

Psalms 75:6- 7 “ For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south, But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another”.

DAILY READING; • 1 Corinthians 1:1-17; 1 Kings 12:32-13:34; Joel 1

Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) was born and raised in debilitating poverty.
His family was so poor that he walked bare-foot for the first eighteen years of his life – in rain and in sunshine.
As a young boy, Adeboye sought an escape from the abject poverty and so made up his mind to pursue education. But after he gained admission to Ilesha Grammar School in Osun State, his mother pleaded with him to abandon the idea of going to the Grammar School because they could not afford the fees.
Adeboye was adamant about his ambition to be educated and to show how serious he was, he refused to eat until his fees were paid. After going two days without food, his mother panicked and urged his father to sell some items and borrow money to pay the school fees.
When he finished his secondary and university education, Adeboye, began his career as a lecturer in mathematics at the universities of Lagos and Ilorin. He was full of great ambitions, one of which was to become the youngest Vice Chancellor of a frontline University in Nigeria.
However, he soon found that his attempts to make progress in life was beset by many obstacles and problems. A desperate search for a spiritual solution brought him in contact with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) which was founded by Pastor Josiah Oluwafemi Akindayomi. After becoming born-again on 29 July, 1973, Adeboye’s story dramatically changed.
He lost his former ambitions and rather began to burn with zeal for Christ. He eventually gave up his job as a university lecturer to become a full-time preacher in the Redeemed Christian Church of God. When the founder, Pastor Josiah Oluwafemi Akindayomi died, the mantle fell upon Adeboye and he was appointed the next General Overseer of the RCCG.
Thus began his God-ordained journey to prominence and global acclaim. From abject poverty, the grace of God lifted him to glorious heights he could never have achieved by his own strength.

Indeed God’s plan for us surpasses whatever plans we may have for ourselves. As Heavens are higher than the earth so are God’s thoughts higher than ours.
No matter how beautiful our own ambition, it can never compare to God’s divine plan.
It is not our hussling or laboring that takes us forward in life, it is the grace of God that makes great.
Our careful, well-structured plans for our lives mean nothing if God is not involved. Without the hand of God, hard work alone, never makes a high flyer. There is place for hardwork and diligence, but ultimately it is the grace of God that makes the huge difference.
It is the blessing of the Lord, that makes rich, not ‘the sweat or struggles of man’.
1 Samuel 2:9 says ‘By strength shall no man prevail’.

It is God’s help and guidance that terminates frustration on our journey. When you are guided you cannot be grounded. When the Lord is your Shepherd, you shall not want. True promotion and upliftment comes from God alone.(Psalms 75:6- 7)
When God is the One behind your lifting, no man can bring you down. When God opens a door before you no man can shut it.
Thereofore to enjoy supernatural overflow and fruitfulness, we need to make the pursuit of God our priority.
As we seek God’s counsel through consistent study of the Word, prayers and worship, surely,, He will guide us into our green pastures and take us to unimaginable heights.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to feed constantly on Your Word, and to maintain a lifestyle of prayer and praise, so that I can be sensitive to Your leadings. By Your grace I shall attain the glorious destiny You have ordained for me in Jesus Name
QUOTE
It takes a heart for God to make a mark in the sands of time. – WORDBITE 201.

Proverbs 24:16 ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.’

DAILY READING; Mark 16, 1 Kings 12, Hosea 14

When World War II ended in May 1945, it left many Jews devastated.
When Allied troops entered the concentration camps, they discovered piles of dead bodies and human ashes—testimony to Nazi mass murder. Soldiers also found thousands of Jewish survivors suffering from starvation and disease.
After being liberated, many of these Jewish survivors feared to return to their former homes because of the antisemitism (hatred of Jews) that still persisted in parts of Europe.. Some of them who eventually returned home lived in fear of their lives because of pogroms (violent anti-Jewish riots).
For these survivors, the prospect of rebuilding their lives was daunting because their Jewish communities had been scattered. In some parts of Europe entire Jewish communities had been wiped out in the holocaust.
Broken, homeless and devastated it indeed seemed these Jews had come to the end of the road.
However, despite their tragedy, they held on to God’s promises of restoration in the Bible.
Based on this, many began to migrate back to their ancient homeland in Palestine.
On their return an incredible miracle of restoration began to take place. Through agricultural innovations, they turned sandy desert lands into a blossoming fruitful land, which has come to be known today, as the modern nation of Israel.
Through God’s help, the Jews arose from their ashes to be counted among the top nations of the world today.

Indeed it is never over until God says so.
It doesn’t matter how terrible the setbacks you may face, through God’s help you can always bounce back better and stronger. Through divine assistance, you can overcome every resistance and recover whatever the enemy tried to steal from you. .

When the Amalekites burned down the home of King David and his men and took their families captive, David did something remarkable; in the midst of the tragedy, he sought the face of God.
In obedience to God’s instruction, David and his men pursued after the enemy and eventually recovered all.

Likewise, we can always recover every lost ground, by doing what David did.
No matter how discouraging the situation, we should always strengthen ourselves in the Lord and follow His Word.
In every circumstance, keep trusting God’s Word and never lose hope.
A knock down, only becomes a knock out, if you stay down and refuse to get up.

Proverbs 24:16 says that though the righteous may fall seven times, yet they will rise again.

You can rise better and greater from any situation.
Today, no matter what difficulties you may face in your health, finance or relationships, be assured that through Christ, you can triumph always and have complete recovery.
Despite the setbacks, as you hold on to faith in God’s Word, you are going to see an amazing turnaround. In the place of dryness, God will cause you to be fruitful. In the place of emptiness, your cup will surely run over with abundant blessings.

PRAYER: Lord, Please help me to pay the price of spending quality time in Your Word so that my faith can be strengthened to recover every lost ground. I thank You Lord for indeed exceeding all my expectations in this season in Jesus Name.

QUOTE;
When you are living and walking in the supernatural everything natural becomes subservient to you – WORDBITE 222.

1 Peter 5:6-7 [NIV] ‘Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.’

DAILY READING • Mark 15:21-47; 1 Kings 11; Hosea 13

William Ashley Sunday was one of America’s greatest baseball players who later became an influential evangelist.
After converting to Christianity, Billy Sunday left behind his fame and riches as a professional baseball player and began working in the Young Men Christian Association. (YMCA).
When he felt the call to become a preacher, he humbly served under the ministry of J. Wilbur Chapman, one of the best known evangelists at the time.
Billy Sunday served as Chapman’s advance man. His work was to go before Chapman to the cities in which he was scheduled to preach, organize prayer meetings, and in general take care of necessary details. When tents were used, Billy Sunday would often help erect them.
By listening to Chapman preach night after night, Billy received a valuable course in homiletics and gradually developed his skills as a pulpit evangelist.
He also prepared by spending time in deep study of the Word, prayers, fasting and developing intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit.
In 1896, Billy Sunday eventually struck out on his own evangelistic ministry.
In the days before radio and television, Billy Sunday was able to draw huge crowds to his meetings. God greatly blessed his ministry and its impact was felt nationally and internationally. It is estimated that Billy Sunday spoke to more than 100 million people during his lifetime. Everywhere he went, lives were changed.
He ended up as the most influential American evangelist in the first two decades of the 20th century.

1 Peter 5:6-7 [NIV] says ‘Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.’

Certainly, when we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, He exalts us in due time.
God is always watching to see our faithfulness where we are, before He opens greater doors before us.
When we are willing to pay the price of humility and faithfulness, greater blessings will surely locate us.
It is the faithful man that abounds with blessings.
To experience supernatural overflow and fruitfulness, we need to serve diligently wherever God has currently placed us.

God will always promote the faithful. When you are faithful in the little, God will reward you in the much. For instance, you don’t have to wait until you get big breaks before you start being faithful in your tithe and offerings.
Manifesting faithfulness in the little, shows you will also be faithful in the much. And it is the faithful servants that will end up as rulers over God’s household.

Matthew 24:45 says ‘Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

The test for faithfulness starts in our service in the little things.
Your servant’s heart is revealed in little acts. Small tasks often show a big heart.
Today, as we make the choice to serve faithfully where we are, God who sees in secret will surely reward us openly.
As we faithfully seek God and diligently promote His kingdom, it will be our season to enjoy divine liftings. Breakthroughs, open doors and inexplicable miracles will abound all around us in Jesus Name.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to be faithful in serving You where I am right now. Please enable me to continually seek Your kingdom first so that other things can be added unto me in Jesus Name. .. ..

QUOTE :
You will never need more than God to experience the impossible in life. WORDBITE 222.

2 Chronicles 7:14
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

DAILY READING; Mark 15:1-20; 1 Kings 10; Hosea 11:12-12:14

The American Civil War was the deadliest war in American history. Altogether, over 600,000 people died in the conflict. This number of casualties is more than deaths in World War I and World War II combined.
One reason why the American Civil War was so lethal was because of the introduction of improved weaponry. It would be the first war in which soldiers used repeating rifles which could fire several shots without reloading. The Civil War also marked the first use by Americans of shrapnel, booby traps, land mines and automated weapons like the Gatling gun.
As this bloody war raged and many people continued to die, the situation appeared beyond the control of the government. And so in March 1863, there was a declaration from President Abraham Lincoln, calling all Americans to a day of fasting and prayer to seek God’s intervention to end the brutal war.
The U.S. Senate also backed the president and asked the people, on the national day of praying and fasting to take that day off and go to Church and ask God to end the horrible war.
As the people called upon God in repentance, not long after that, the civil war finally came to an end.

Today, the world is faced with a raging war in Eastern Europe. Daily the battles are increasing and becoming more brutal. Many nations have been forced to take sides, resulting in rising political tensions, financial uncertainties and anxieties across the globe.
As believers, we cannot act unaffected.
It is certainly time for us to call upon God to divinely intervene.
God is our solid rock upon which we can stand when all other grounds are shaking and sinking fast.
He is our hope from ages past, He is our refuge and strength and ever present help in trouble..
Through prayer, we can engage His power for a forceful turnaround of situations.
Prayer rearranges things and brings them into divine alignment with God’s will.
Miracles will surely happen as we begin to call upon the Lord.
As we intercede, He will put in motion an orchestration of events, that will overturn the plans of the enemy and establish victory for His people.
Truly, prayer changes things!
Those who know the secret of kneeling before God in prayers will always stand victorious over life’s challenges..

The Bible rightly predicts that the end times would be perilous times. That is what we are seeing today.
Apart from what is happening on the global stage, there are also battles confronting people in their personal lives.
However, as believers we are destined to triumph always through Christ.
As we engage the forces of prayers, faith from God’s Word, and praise, we will triumph over every conflict.
Therefore today, instead of passively watching events, let us become spiritually involved by calling upon God.
Certainly, they that call upon the Lord shall not be ashamed.
As we engage in intercession we shall soon see God’s divine intervention in amazing miracles, signs and wonders.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for establishing for me a definite turnaround in every issue of concern. Thank You for giving me the victory over every confrontation in Jesus Name.

QUOTE;
When you make God your priority, God automatically makes you priority in His own plan. – WORDBITE 222

1 Samuel 2:30 ‘for them that honor Me, I will honor, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.’

DAILY READING: Mark 14:32-72; 1 Kings 9; Hosea 11:1-11

Hilary Hinton “Zig” Ziglar was an author, and motivational speaker, who was well known around the world.
He began early in life to seek success.
In 1947, when he was 21years old, Ziglar began working as a salesman and also later ventured into motivational speaking.
But despite how hard he worked, he was constantly broke and in debt.
He continued to struggle financially until when he was 45 years old.
Then something happened that changed everything for him. Though he had been attending Church since he was young , yet he never really had a personal relationship with God.
But one day in 1972, an elderly black lady preached the Gospel to him in a new light. This resulted in Ziglar totally surrendering his life to Christ on July 4, 1972.
His new commitment to God, radically changed every facet of his life .Wherever he went, he spoke about his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
He didn’t just make his faith a personal matter, but made it the foundation of his business. He began using Biblical principles to teach success and integrated his Christian belief into his motivational work.
As he honored God, in return God also honored and blessed him in incredible ways. His career immediately exploded and many people began to flock to hear him. Before then, Ziglar had trouble getting speaking engagements, but after his salvation, he did not again solicit for a speaking engagement as his telephone kept ringing with people wanting to book him.
Ziglar went on to speak extensively to audiences around the world and authored over 30 books.He also funded many Christian causes during his lifetime.

If we want God to bless our business, then we must invite Him into it!
We must allow Him to use our business to do His business.

When Peter allowed Jesus to come into his fishing boat, and use it to preach to the crowd, it paid off!
Jesus worked a miracle of supernatural overflow that caused Peter’s boat to almost sink because of the abundance of fishes.
When Jesus is on board your boat, you’ll surely prosper. When He is part of your business, you will definitely succeed.
As Christians, our faith cannot be demarcated from our business or career, Christ has to be honored in everything we do.

God said in 1 Samuel 2:30, ‘For them that honour Me I will honour, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed’.

To experience success, we need to make sure we are giving to God the honor due to Him. In our lives, homes, businesses, careers, and in everything, God must take the first place.
When we involve Him in our affairs, we are guaranteed success.

Isaiah 48:17 tells us that it is God that leads us and teaches us how to profit.

When God is involved in our business, He will guide us to always make the right decisions that lead to profitting..

And as God blesses us, we must be willing to promote the Father’s business by sowinng towards the spreading of the Gospel.
As we do, God will cause us to become a magnet for His goodness. The right people and right opportunities will be attracted to us.
The more we celebrate God, the more He will elevate us to higher positions in life.
Certainly, the place of God in our heart will determines our placing upon the earth.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to honor You in every aspect of my life. Thank You Lord for leading me and teaching me how to profit in all my endeavors in Jesus Name.
QUOTE
You are too loaded on the inside, to ever consider failing in life. WORDBITE 222