HORM Devotional

2 Chronicles 27:6. ‘So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God.’

DAILY READING – Romans 11:1-24; 1 Samuel 20; Psalm 65

Gabrielle Douglas, is an American gymnast who became the first African American in Olympic history to win the individual all-around event at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. She also won team gold medals at the 2016 Olympics.
At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, 16-year-old Gabrielle astounded the Olympic world when she won two gold medals in the all-around event and the team events.
While her win surprised many people, few knew about the hard work she put in to secure the gold medals.
Gabrielle Douglas began practicing gymnastics from the age of six.. Over the years,her hard work and tireless pursuit resulted finally in her winning Olympic gold.
Speaking to the Media after her win, Gabrielle told them that she stuck to a strict diet and spent most of her time at the gym. She said that she would hit the gym at 8am and leave at 4pm six days a week, maintaining a diet of mostly lean protein and vegetables..Most importantly as a Christian, she maintained discipline in studying the Word and prayers.
Just like Gabrielle Douglas, successful Olympians know the importance of preparation. To compete and do well, they need to be in good shape mentally and physically. The average Olympian prepares by training four hours per day, 310 days per year, for six years before succeeding. That translates into more than 7,000 hours of training for an event that may last less than sixty seconds. And when they finally win and stand on the pedestal to receive their gold, many never see the price they paid in the place of preparation. Indeed it doesn’t take time to manifest, but it takes time to prepare. Truly, preparation is the fundamental key in the school of success.

2 Chronicles 27:6. Says ‘So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God.’

Preparation must always precede manifestation. It is only those who have paid their dues in preparation that become due for manifestation. To fly high, you must pass through a necessary process of preparation.
While this is our year to see revival, we must understand that there is a price to pay to see the manifestation.
To be used by God, we must be willing to go through the required process. of spiritual preparation.
It is impossible to get from where we are to where we are going without making a transition. This would require discipline in prayer, fasting, study of the Word and fellowship with the Spirit. To ascend to the height God has for us we must be willing to pay the required spiritual price to be rightly positioned for the flow of His fire in our lives.
This will not always be easy but no matter what process God passes us through, according to Romans 8:28 all things are working together for our good.
So in this season, let us be willing to embrace the responsibility of a deeper spiritual walk, because God won’t project you unless He has first prepared you. This year will be a wonder-filled year for us, as long as we do our own part by becoming rightly positioned spiritually.
Let us therefore not grow weary in this season of fasting and prayer, rather let us continue to press forward, knowing that our labour shall not be in vain. Very soon, by God’s grace we are going to reap an outbreak of revival and tangible manifestations of power that will truly establish us as signs and wonders in our environment.

PRAYER: Father please help me to be willing to submit to the necessary process that will prepare me to carry the fire of revival. Please destroy every force of limitation in my life and enable me to rise to the place you have ordained for me in this season in Jesus Name.

QUOTE :
The battle you are faced with today is a good warfare because God has already foreordained victorious end for you.. – WORDBITE 222.

Job 5:21-22 ‘..Neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.’

DAILY READING; Romans 9:30-10:21; 1 Samuel 19; Psalm 64

The Panic of 1857 was a serious economic depression in the United States that caused widespread bankruptcies and made over 15000 businesses to collapse. It led to huge unemployment, homelessness and famine. However in the midst of this national crisis, God caused one man to shine as light in the dark world.
Jeremiah Lanphier lived during this tumultuous time of the Panic of 1857
Before then, the nation had been in tremendous spiritual, political, and economic decline. Then to make matters worse, by 1857, large financial panic hit. Banks failed, railroads went bankrupt, factories closed, unemployment increased. All these pushed the nation to the brink of civil war.
Yet in the midst of these unlikely surroundings, God used Jeremiah Lanpier to birth revival.
Jeremiah himself was virtually unknown, without influence or platform, yet his passion for prayer was unmistakable. His obscurity, lack of training, and lack of financial resources didn’t stop him. He was so enamored with reaching souls for Jesus that in a risky step of faith, he rented a hall on Fulton street in New York and began advertising prayer meetings. By the third week, despite Jeremiah’s advertising, his prayer meeting had only forty participants.
But as Jeremiah pesevered in prayers, everything changed few days later as the stock market crashed. Suddenly people began flocking by the thousands to the prayer meetings. Within just six months, 10,000 people were gathering daily for the prayers. Soon the revival spread like wild fire to other cities and nations.
What started as the Panic of 1857 became the Great Awakening of 1857, that ushered millions of souls into God’s kingdom..

Just like America’s economic depression, today, the world is going through a crisis period.
However, while it may be a time of crisis in the world, it is certainly a time of opportunity for the Church.
In the midst of the gross darkness we are to rise and shine as lights in the world.. It is time for revival, breakthroughs and awakenings for God’s people.
As God’s covenant people, we are to flourish in the famine and thrive in tough times and laugh in the midst of adversities.

Job 5:20,22 (NKJV) says “In famine He shall redeem you from death……….You shall laugh at destruction and famine.” –

We are not at the mercy of the fluctuating global systems rather God is in control of our lives.
While there may be darkness in Egypt, as God’s people in Goshen, we are surrounded with light.
While it may be a dark time for those who don’t know God, for those who know their God, they shall be strong and do exploits.

Therefore, let us not get so caught up in the negative news of the world that we forget, that our case is different. While the world may be saying there is a casting down, it is our time to say there is a lifting up.
Though the world may be striving, we are going to be thriving.

Notwithstanding what may be going on in the world, the Most High God is working in our lives to cause His glory to arise upon us.
As we observe the season of fasting and praying, let us get ready to be used tremendously by God to bring revival to the world.
At a time of gross darkness, it is God’s plan for His glory to be seen upon us so that all the gentiles will be drawn to the brightness of our rising.. At a time when the world structures are shaking and systems are collapsing, it is God’s desire to lift us up as solution providers and miracle workers.
Indeed amid the crisis of this end-time, God is set to display His manifold wisdom through the Church. Therefore let us get ready for the of outbreak revival, certainly it is our time to arise and shine!

PRAYER; Father I thank You for giving me the victory over the negative circumstances in the world. Because I am connected to a Heavenly Source, I will be blessed even in famine, and will keep increasing and flourishing on every side in all my endeavors in Jesus Name
QUOTE;
You don’t have light until you have The Word of God. Until you have The Word of God on any issue in your life, you don’t have light yet. WORDBITE 222.

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Isaiah 64:1-2 ‘Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!!’

Romans 9:1-29; 1 Samuel 17:55-18:30; Psalm 63

When Living Faith Church began full operation in December 1983., their first Church services were held in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria.
Despite having had a clear call from God in an 18 hour vision, David Oyedepo found that things did not immediately progress as he had expected.
The growth of the Church appeared stunted and stagnated. Oftentimes, there were only two people f in the Church services and they were his staff members.
Tired of the stagnation, one day, David Oyedepo called his staff together and they began prayers and fasting for three days. On the third day, the Lord said to him, “My son, get up and walk down the church area.” He obeyed and got up. After walking some steps he heard the Lord say to him “Turn back.”
He turned around and the Lord opened his eyes to see a layer of thick darkness sitting on the roof of the Church.
Oyedepo then began to challenge this dark cloud audibly with the Word of God.
He said, “Light shines in darkness and darkness comprehends it not. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I challenge you force of the enemy, fold up and get out of here.”
Immediately, he saw the layer of darkness fold up and roll away! From then on, there was a divine turnaround and people began to pour into the Church, and the ministry began to grow in leaps and bounds.
One of the new Church members who later became a pastor told Oyedepo that when he had first wanted to come the Church, what he saw were people robed in white clothing making him think it was a white garment Church, this had discouraged him from entering the premises.
Knowing that neither him or any of his staff had a white suit, Bishop Oyedepo realized the enemy had put a spiritual
camouflage over the Church, that turned people away. But when they rose up in prayer, the dark forces were overcome, and the Heavens opened up over the assembly, bringing growth and rapid expansion that has today established the Living Faith Church as a global Church with congregations in over 145 countries.

The fact that you have a genuine call from God does not mean you will not face resistance.
Despite all your hard work, certain ‘dark clouds’ might sit over your endeavors making growth and progress difficult until you decide to cry out to God for a change.
One of the most remarkable prayers of intercession recorded in the Bible is found in Isaiah 64 where prophet Isaiah called upon the Lord, saying, ‘Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!!'[Isaiah 64:1-2]

Isaiah was crying out to God to tear open the Heavens and cause the mountains to melt and show His power so that His adversaries and the nations may tremble.
It certainly takes the showing forth of God’s power to overcome the mountains of resistance and evil forces that sit on people’s destinies to resist their growth and expansion.

Zechariah 1:18-21 talks about the horns of the Gentiles, which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem so that no man did lift up his head.
These horns of the Gentiles were the wicked forces stagnating the destinies of men through spells, enchantments and manipulations.
These forces cannot be confronted with human wisdom, technology, philosophy, or ethical principles. Rather they are overcome through the weapons of our warfare which are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.
Through engaging the force of prayer and fasting, those dark clouds that try to block our blessings will be rolled away enabling us to enjoy open Heavens and speedy progress.
Prayer and fasting releases the yoke-breaking anointing that deals with the stubborn ‘kinds’ of spiritual resistance. [Matthew 17:21]
Many of us have been called to great assignments, but until we overcome those ‘dark clouds’ of stagnation, progress may be difficult.
This year, we cannot afford to keep watching those things that threaten to abort our vision. We must therefore rise up in prayer and through persistence break down every resistance. Certainly, through prayers the Heavens will open over us and we shall see the growth, progress and expansion we desire.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for the grace to keep pressing on in prayers. By Your grace I am overcoming every stubborn resistance to my progress and pressing forward into the glorious destiny You have ordained for me this year in Jesus Name.
QUOTE:
When God is on your side anything is possible. WORDBITE 222.–

Malachi 3:10 says ‘Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.’

DAILY READING; • • Romans 8; 1 Samuel 17:1-54; Psalm 62

William Colgate was 19 years old, when he decided to go into business on his own. He ventured into soapmaking with his aunt’s financial help. However, his business failed within a year and he had to close it down.
William was greatly disappointed, but he received encouragement while reading the Bible and saw how Jacob made a vow to God.
He read in Genesis 28: 20-21 “Then Jacob made a vow to the LORD :If you will be with me and protect me in the journey I am making and give me food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then you will be my God… and I will give you a tenth of everything you give me.”

Jacob’s vow challenged William. He then prayed the same prayer and made a similar vow to give God first place in his life, and give a tithe of his profitts..
William travelled to New York and there started a new business. He never forgot his promise to God and from the first dollar he earned he devoted 10 percent of his net earnings to God.
As he gave God the first place in his life and career, it marked the beginning of his outstanding success.
As he progressed, he increased his tithe to 20 percent and later to 30 percent. It seemed that the more he gave, the more he prospered.
William experienced the fulfillment of Malachi 3:10 as God opened the windows of Heaven and pour out to him much blessings.
Soon the Colgate Company dominated the world’s cosmetic market as its operations branched out from soap manufacturing into a host of other products.
William was active in Church and served as a Deacon and donated large sums to missions, Christian education and Bible translation.
Though he died on March 25, 1857, his influence continues to llve on today through the Colgate-Palmolive company which is a major player in the global financial market.

Truly the secrets of men are in their stories.
Despite past setback and failures, when a man decides to come into covenant with God, he will experience open Heavens in his endeavors. And certainly, Open Heavens is the cure for earthly dryness.
When the windows of Heaven open over us, there is an outpouring of the rain of the Spirit that quickens our understanding and grants us access to divine ideas that launches us into outstanding success.

God is faithful to keep His covenant with us today, just as He was faithful to keep His covenant with His people in the past. And when we covenant to walk in line with His Word, it guarantees our supernatural breakthroughs in life.
One of the keys found in His Word for unlocking the Heavens is Malachi 3:10 which says ‘Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.’

When we bring all the tithes into God’s store house, He blesses us overwhelmingly and stops the devourer from attacking our health, families, businesses, career etc

Through the covenant of investing into God’s kingdom, we stay connected to a supply line that never runs dry.
Circumstances in the world may change, and global economy may shake, but Heaven’s economy never fails.
As long as we remain connected to God, we will prosper even in the desert. We will never see dryness because we are connected to the fountain of Living waters.

Today, let us determine to operate under open Heavens by sincerely serving God with our lives and also sowing into His kingdom. As we do, the Lord will cause doors of breakthrough to open up for us, crooked places shall be made straight and the hidden riches of secret places shall be given to us in Jesus Name.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for opening the Heavens over me throughout this year and beyond. I know that even right now You are already converting every breakdown into breakthroughs and giving me a divine turnaround in every area in Jesus Name. .

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

Deut. 28: 12-13, “The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: ..if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them”

DAILY READING; – Romans 7; 1 Samuel 16, Psalm 61

In 1934, Stanley Tam was a young man who worked as a door-to-door salesman. One day, he met a farmer’s wife who told him about Jesus and thereafter he gave his life to Christ.
Before then he had been struggling to make ends meet. But after becoming a Christian, he believed God could change his financial situation.
With thirty-seven dollars in his pocket, in 1936, he launched United States Plastic Corporation, in Lima, Ohio.
At the beginning things were very tough and discouraging despite his efforts to make the business succeed. But everything changed when one day, he heard God clearly say to him: ‘Turn it over to me; I’ll make it succeed.’”
So Stanley Tam gave his entire business over to God and legally made God the company’s majority owner—51 percent of company stock was to generate earnings for God’s Kingdom. The profits would be for the spread of the Gospel across the world.
From then on the business began to experience open Heavens as sales greatly skyrocketed.
Ever since, the business has generated more than $140 Million towards the work of the Lord in many countries.
By simply obeying God, Stanley Tam experienced success beyond his wildest imaginations. In addition God blessed him with longevity and he has lived to be up to 105 years old.
Today, the Stanley Tam story continues to inspire many people globally as an extraordinary example of what one man can accomplish when he puts God first in his life and endeavors.

Operating under a closed Heaven means that hardship becomes inevitable. This was part of the curses for disobeying God as presented to the Israelites by Moses in Deuteronomy 28:23. It says, “And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.”

In the same chapter, Moses also presented to them the blessings for obeying God, part of which says in Deuteronomy 28:12 “The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.’
It was Israel’s choice to obey God and be blessed or disobey and be cursed.
The truth is that life does not get better by chance; it gets better by the choices we make.
Certainly, it takes obedience to God to operate under open Heavens in life.
Our degree of commitment in seeking God is what determines our ultimate height in the race of life.
When Jacob fled from Esau and was on his way to start a new life, he slept and dreamt of the Heavens opening over him. He saw a ladder that came down from Heaven to the earth and angels were ascending and descending on it.
In that place Jacob covenanted to serve God with his life and income. As Jacob kept to this covenant, God greatly blessed and distinguished him throughout his sojourn with Laban and made him prosperous in life.
To experience open Heavens we must make a definite choice to serve God and be dedicated to His cause.
Dedication is the mystery behind distinction. How dedicated you are in serving God, determines how distinguished you will become in life.
Certainly, God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Maintaining God as your focus is what turns you into a focus among men.
Seeking God’s kingdom first should be our main focus especially in these last days. As time runs out on earth, it is important that we begin to evaluate our priorities and ensure we are pursuing what matters most.
We can no longer afford to keep wasting time, running after frivolities and things that lack eternal value.
It is time to focus more on pleasing God and press forward, towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus [Philippians 3:13].
Today, through the Blood of Jesus, we receive the strength for greater kingdom commitment. Everything that tries to draw us back in our Heavenly race comes under divine judgement by the Blood.
Certainly, as we fervently pursue God in this season of fasting and praying, and hearken to His Word, He will open the windows of Heaven over us and pour out to us overflowing blessings beyond our greatest imaginations.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for the grace to always make You top priority in my life. Please help me to maintain a lifestyle of tireless pursuit of Your kingdom. Certainly as I seek You first, every other thing shall be added unto me in Jesus’ Name.
QUOTE
Your heart needs to be filled with The Word of God to the point of overflow. – WORDBITE 222

Isaiah 45:2 ‘I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:’

DAILY READING – Romans 6; 1 Samuel 15; Psalm 60

“Made A Way” is a song written by Gospel singer and pastor, Travis Greene.
In 2015, Travis released his top-performing album titled ‘The Hill’. A single from this album that stands out the most is “Made A Way.” This song has won various awards including Billboard’s Top Gospel Song and Stellar’s Song of the Year.
Interestingly, Travis wrote this remarkable song in the midst of an impossible situation, where there seemed to be no way.

Travis is married to Dr. Jackie Gyamfi Greene, a Ghanaian dentist and together they pastor Forward City Church in Columbia, South Carolina.
In 2014, his wife Jackie became pregnant with their first child but halfway through the pregnancy she suffered complications that landed her in the hospital. Her water had broken at 21 weeks of pregnancy and doctors said the chance of the unborn child surviving was almost non-existent.
With the odds stacked against Travis and his wife, they had nothing but faith to hold on to. The only way their baby would live was if God would perform a miracle and “hold the water”. Jackie was placed on bed rest in the hospital for two months. During this trying period, Travis penned the words to the song ‘Made a way’. He proclaimed God’s divine ability to make a way for them despite the odds. He wrote: “You move mountains, You cause walls to fall, With Your power, You perform miracles. There is nothing, that’s impossible, and we’re standing here only because You made a way.”

God indeed made a way for Travis and his wife. He performed a miracle and ‘held the water’ for the next seven weeks, causing their unborn baby to survive. Though doctors had given up, Jackie gave birth at 28th week to a baby boy!
Being born premature, he had several complications while in the ICU, yet miraculously, this baby named, David Jace, grew up into a healthy child with no signs of prematurity. His life is an absolute miracle that shows that God is truly a way maker !

Many of us can easily relate to Travis’ song because in our own lives, we have also seen God make ways with nexplicable miracles.
Just as God “held the water” for Jackie Greene, thousands of years ago, He also ‘held the water’ and made a way for His people to escape.
In Exodus 14, the Israelites faced an impossible situation with Pharaoh’s army behind them and the Red sea before them.
Though it seemed there was no way out, God delivered the Israelites through inexplicable wonders.
Truly God is a miracle-worker who can create a path through the mighty waters. .
He cannot be limited or hindered by any impossibility.
Therefore, in this new month of February, let us get ready to experience His yoke breaking power as He goes before us to break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron ( Isaiah 45:2).
As we round up our fasting and praying this month, we can expect to see the mighty release of God’s miracle power that will destroy hitherto impossible barriers in our lives. In this month God will level long-standing mountains and cause generational walls to fall.
Having spent time in praying to connect with His mighty power, let us be ready for an outbreak of revival and supernatural occurrences.
It is certainly our month to see strange miracles as God makes way for us where there seemed to be no way.
Therefore rather than fret over any situation, let us keep praising God because of the wonders He is set to do in our lives this month.
Through the Blood of Jesus, we are guaranteed divine immunity and security throughout this month and the days ahead. Because God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, it is certainly, our month to see supernatural rewards and results in our health, finances, families and every of our endeavors.

PRAYER: Lord, Please grant me the grace to press in to all You have ordained for me in this unique new month. Today, through the Blood of Jesus I draw the strength to persevere in prayers, knowing that I am about to see Your rewards of miracles, signs and wonders in Jesus Name.

QUOTE :
Your present frustrations are God’s opportunities for manifestations. – WORDBITE 222

1 Corinthians 16:9 ‘For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.’

DAILY READING; Romans 5; 1 Samuel 14; Psalm 59

Fasting was popular among many of the men and women that God used throughout Church history.
Famous intercessors, preachers and evangelists all practiced the discipline of fasting and prayer.
The great revivalist Charles Finney fasted every week. Whenever he felt less power in his ministry, he would fast two or three days. Then the power would return. He is one of the greatest and most anointed soul-winners of all time.
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodists, urged Church members to fast and pray every Wednesday and Friday until 4pm. He wouldn’t ordain a Methodist pastor unless he agreed to fast and pray on these days. During his life time the Methodist movement helped bring revival to Great Britain and then to America.
John Wesley would rise up at 4am every day to seek God for the first four hours of the day. In his later years Wesley was known to spend up to 8 hours in prayer.
The famous John Knox greatly impacted Britain and brought reformation through prayer and fasting.
Through engaging the power of fasting and prayer, these men accomplished great things for God and changed the course of history.

Everyone who has ever operated in the realm of power subscribed to the demands of prayer and fasting.
Foremost among Biblical examples of those who fasted and prayed is our Lord
Jesus, who underwent a forty-day prayer and fasting expedition, and returned in the power of the Spirit to do mighty signs and wonders.
The Apostles often gave themselves to fasting and praying and did great exploits.
We also have examples of Old Testament figures like Moses, Daniel, Ezekiel, Ezra etc. Nehemiah was a man without identity but succeeded in rebuilding the broken walls of Jerusalem in 52 days after he had prayed and fasted.

Men and women in our generation, who understood and engaged the power of fasting and praying, have also achieved great results.
To truly benefit from this season of fasting we need spiritual understanding so that we don’t end up conducting a mere religious exercise.
The greatest benefit of fasting is drawing closer to God to be empowered to triumph in life.
The great and effectual doors God opens for us usually attract many adversaries and resistance from hell. [[1 Corinthians 16:9].
Through prayer and fasting we are empowered to triumph always and accomplish God’s purpose for us.
The truth is that it is impossible to achieve great exploits in God’s kingdom without prayer and fasting as a lifestyle.
We must therefore pay attention to this spiritual exercise not just as a Church doctrine but as a pathway to personal empowerment to enable us live victorious and rule in the midst of our enemies.
Indeed through the exercise of fasting, praying, study of God’s Word and fellowship with the Spirit, we will become outstanding in our generation and gloriously fulfill God’s purpose for our lives.

Having come to the end of the month of January today, let us wholeheartedly thank God for how far He has brought us on this journey and ask for grace to persevere in prayers in the remaining days.

PRAYER: Lord, I know that by Your grace my labour in prayers in this season shall never be in vain. Surely, I am emerging with greater power to accomplish exploits and truly be outstanding this year in Jesus Name. .

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

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.’

DAILY READING; Romans 4; 1 Samuel 13; Psalm 58

‘Breaking a horse’ means teaching a horse how to carry a rider on its back.
“Breaking’ young horses is a centuries old phenomenon that started when man first had the idea to climb on a horse’s back to use him for hunting, agriculture and war.
The breaking process, involves teaching the young horse to accept a saddle, a bridle and the weight of the rider on his back. It also involves teaching the horse how to steer, stop and respond to cues on command when they are given using the reins, leg and seat.
Before the breaking process, a horse will normally reject attempts by anyone to ride it.
A wild stallion being ridden for the first time doesn’t want to submit to the rider or do what it’s told. And anyone who tries to ride it will only get thrown off its back. Therefore a horse owner knows that he cannot just toss a saddle on the back of a wild horse and try to ride it. He first has to follow a process used to break a horse to prepare it to be ridden. For days, he may lead the horse around a pen as it adjusts to the feel of the harness and its new surroundings. Then the saddle is placed on the horse’s back but without a rider. Finally, the cowboy puts a foot in one of the stirrups. When the cowboy climbs into the saddle, the initial shock of having someone on its back is frightening and irritating to the horse. It might buck and rear its head before it begins to settle and trot around its pen. And so gradually, the horse is prepared to begin a lifetime of service to its owner.
Horses that have been broken are considered to have greater value and worth than the unbroken ones.

For us to be useful and valuable to God, we must become broken. For revival fire to flow through us we must become submissive and yielded vessels in God’s hands.
When God begins to prepare us to be used for His work, one of the first things He does is to bring us to a place of brokenness.
Through preordained circumstances and situations, He works in our lives to bring us to the place of total surrender. This is the point where Paul said in Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.’

Before we can be used by God, our flesh must be crucified. It has been said that dead people make the best Christians. If you are still alive to your feelings and old ways of thinking, it becomes difficult for the Spirit to steer you in the direction of God’s perfect will.
We cannot be useful to God or become fruitful until we have become broken and dead to the flesh.

John 12:24 says ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit..’

The place of brokenness is a prerequisite for stepping into the fullness of our destiny.
The way to a blessed life is to allow God to take control, when we invite Him into every area of our lives.
The focus should be on Him and not on us; on what God wants and not what we want, on God’s will and desires, and not our plan and wishes.
It is in the places of brokenness that we really grow. Indeed there are certain heights you can never achieve in life until you have become humble enough to be entrusted with them. It is he that humbles himself that is exalted. Let us therefore learn to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt us in due season and use to greatly manifest His power to the world.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to surrender totally to Your will in every area of my life. Please destroy in me hardness of heart and everything that causes me to be unbroken in Jesus Name.
QUOTE :
It takes a heart for God to make a mark in the sands of time. – WORDBITE 201

Psalm 2:8, ‘Ask of Me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, And dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’

DAILY READING • Romans 3:9-31; 1 Samuel 12; Psalm 57

The revolution that brought down the communist regime in East Germany in 1989 began when a Lutheran pastor named Christian Führer rallied East Germans to resist the injustice of the communist system through prayers.
Beginning in the early 1980s he organized peace prayers every Monday at Church of St Nicholas in the city of Leipzig, about a 100 miles from Berlin. These prayers became a rallying point for the people’s protest against the oppressive communist regime.
As the gatherings at the Church came to the attention of the government, they sent ‘the Stasi’, the secret police, to start beating people and arresting them in large numbers in front of the church.
People coming to the Church every week faced serious danger of being shot, yet they still didn’t give up on coming to the Monday peace prayers. Rather the Church continued to grow in size, despite authorities barricading the streets leading to it and the secret police issuing death threats to the attendees.
The courage of the congregants at St. Nicholas inspired other churches in towns and cities around the country to also begin holding peace prayers, thereby spreading the Jesus message of nonviolence.
On Monday October 9, 1989, the people planned a massive demonstration demanding peaceful change. The communist government was resolved on crushing this gathering and stopping the prayer meetings and so they amassed 8000 police and armed military units to stop them. That day, 70,000 people turned up and marched towards the city center with lighted candles and praying.
As these people marched in defiance of the government, astonishingly, the police were unable to halt them and not a single shot was fired at any of them.
Exactly a month later, the people’s prayers were answered as a series of events led to the resignation of the communist leader marking an end to his oppressive regime and paving the way for the first free multi-party elections in East Germany.

True revivals and revolution are birthed in the womb of prayer.
Prayer is indeed powerful.
Times of trials in our nations should draw us into intercession for Heavenly intervention. Every oppression can be overturned through prayers.
One of the greatest theologian of the 20th century, Karl Barth, said that “to clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.”

It’s not enough to just think about the things that are going wrong in our environment or keep worrying about them, something supernatural happens when we choose to pray.
Our prayer puts a demand on Heaven and activates divine interventions. Therefore instead of worrying or complaining, we can rather pray into existence the changes we desire. God causes things to happen on earth when men and women are in agreement with His will.
Truly, to see divine intervention, prayer is a necessity for every believer.
It doesn’t matter how intimidating the machinery of the opposition, when we fight on our knees, we stand in victory. Indeed the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. [2 Corinthians 10:4-5].

As we call upon God in this time of fasting, certainly, we are going to see positive changes. Through the power of prayer we will re-organize circumstances not only in our individual lives, but also in our families, communities, cities, and nation.

PRAYER: Lord, please grant me the grace to fill my heart with Your Word, and to remain steadfast in prayers to see the changes I desire. Thank You Father for speedy answers and for doing exceedingly abundantly above all I have requested in Jesus Name.
QUOTE;
Until you cry out in the place of prayer certain things won’t happen. WORDBITE 222

Psalm 34:10 “The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.”

DAILY READING; • Romans 2:1-3:8; 1 Samuel 10:17-11:15; Psalm 56

In 2010, an 80 years old American millionaire named Forrest Fenn, announced that he had hidden a gold chest worth an estimated $1 million in the Rocky Mountains around New Mexico. He then published a memoir titled “The Thrill of the Chase” in which he gave clues that could lead people to the discovery of this chest of gold.
When Newsweek magazine published an article about Forrest Fenn’s hidden gold, it further publicized this modern-day treasure hunt causing tens of thousands of people to join the search.
For ten years this intense search continued, yet no one could find the location of Fenn’s treasure.
Some people became so obsessed about finding the hidden gold chest, that they sold everything they owned and moved to New Mexico to be closer to the search area. Others spent thousands of dollars in travelling to the region to find the gold chest.
Many treasure hunters spent sleepless nights either on Google Earth, researching online or reading Fenn’s book again for clues.
For a few others, the hunt eventually cost them their lives, as in the course of the search in the wilderness, about five people died in different accidents.
Finally in July 2020, a medical student named Jack Stuef found the treasure in the forest, where it had been almost covered by leaves and debris.
For Forrest Fenn, now 90 years old, it seemed the end of the search for the gold also meant the end of the road, as he died just two months later on September 7, 2020.

For ten years, people spent money, efforts and even risked their lives all for the remote possibility of finding a chest of gold.
Such is gold fever, such is men’s thirst and quest for riches.
All over the world many people are hotly in pursuit of earthly treasures, while only few are in pursuit of God.
Yet, the pursuit of God is the secret card to finding life’s greatest treasures. It is when we first seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness, that every other thing, including gold, is added unto us. (Matt. 6:33).
According to Psalm 112:1-3, wealth and riches are found in the house of the man that fears the LORD, and delights greatly in his commandments.
It is therefore the depth of our pursuit of God that determines the weight of treasures we find in life. Indeed they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing! [Psalm 34:10]

When our hearts desperately pant after God, He will see to it that we receive far more than gold. He will give to us the anointing and power that will achieve for us what money cannot buy.
The sicknesses and demonic oppressions that money cannot solve, will be conquered by the power of God at work in our lives. Certainly, according to His power at work in us, God will do for us exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask, think or imagine. [Ephesians 3:20].
As we seek God in this season of fasting let us be assured of great rewards. Launching into the search for a deeper relationship with God, will cause us to experience wonders. When we seek God and find Him, He will teach us to profit and open to us the treasures and hidden riches of secret places (Isaiah 45:3).
Let us therefore today make the decision to engage in a fervent search for God. Let us get into the depth of the Word, prayers and deep worship. Truly God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him and He has not called the sons of Jacob to seek Him in vain.
Certainly, we can never seek God first and come last in life because God honors those that honor Him.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to make seeking You my greatest priority in life. Please, grant me the grace to always seek first Your kingdom and righteousness, so that every good thing of life shall be added unto me in Jesus Name..

QUOTE;
Everything that ultimately has a glorious ending usually has a humble beginning. – WORDBITE 222.