HORM Devotional

Acts 12:5 (NIV) “So Peter was put in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”

DAILY READING; Acts 23:23-24:9; Judges 20; Psalm 45

On October 16th 2021, a group of American missionaries, who worked with Christian Aid Ministries [CAM], were abducted, in Haiti. After a visit to an orphanage, the missionary group of 17 people were returning back, when they were kidnapped by a terror gang in Haiti who demanded millions of dollars in ransom.
Because their captors moved them several times to different locations, it became very difficult for security operatives to find them. Realizing that their help was in the Lord, these missionaries prayed ceaselessly. They organized a continuous around-the-clock prayer chain among themselves, with each person taking turns to pray for about 30 minutes to an hour for their deliverance.
Around the world days of fasting and praying were organized for them, and many people prayed.
As these missionaries sought God in prayer, they eventually began to receive the leading that God wanted them to attempt an escape. Feeling emboldened by this divine direction, they made a daring escape on the night of December 15.
That night, though the door was closed and blocked, they found a way to open it and quickly left the place where they had been held. Despite the fact that numerous guards were close by, miraculously they were unnoticed as they walked into the nearby woods. They kept praying as they walked for 10 miles through the night. Eventually, as the new day began to dawn, they found someone who helped them to call security operatives. Thus, after two months of captivity, these missionaries were finally free! From Haiti, they were immediately flown back to America to reunite with their loved ones.

When Peter was captured and imprisoned by Herod, escape seemed impossible. It was the third time that Peter was being arrested and because he had inexplicably escaped from prison before, this time, Herod applied maximum security.
He not only had many soldiers guarding Peter, he also had soldiers shackled to him. But Herod had no idea of the God’s prevailing power that works through the prayer of the saints.
As soon as the Church heard about Peter’s imprisonment they gathered to pray.
Acts 12:5 says “So Peter was put in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”
That word ‘earnestly’ in Greek is the same word that is used of Jesus when He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. It refers to being in deep agony of soul.
These believers who had recently witnessed the death of James, were determined that Peter would not be Herod’s next victim and so they prayed earnestly.
James 5:16 (NLT) says ‘The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results”

Though Herod had the power of the sword, the Church prevailed through the greater power of prayer. An angel of the Lord invaded the prison and Peter was miraculously rescued from captivity.
Though Acts chapter 12 opens with Peter in prison and Herod triumphing; yet it closes with Herod dead and Peter free.
Indeed through the power of prayer, we will triumph over every enemy of our lives. It doesn’t matter the current condition, when we pray earnestly, things will certainly end in our favor.
Prayer indeed works.
According to Mark 11:22 -24, we can have as much as we desire from God through the awesome privilege of prayer.
Therefore in this season fasting and praying, let us learn to ask God for big things. Nothing is impossible with Him. Let us ask Him for deliverance from every Herod, triumph over every goliath and rescue from every fiery furnace.
We serve the God who cannot fail, and as we call upon Him today, He will show us great and mighty things and release His awesome power for our deliverance from every captivity.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for granting me the grace to engage the power of prayer in this season. As I wait upon You, I thank You for my deliverance from every bondage and release of Your power to usher me into greater heights of exploits and glory in Jesus Name.
QUOTE;
‘Until you cry out in the place of prayer certain things won’t happen’ WORDBITE 222.

Isaiah 2:2 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

’DAILY READING – • Acts 22:30-23:22; Judges 19; Psalm 44

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth.
The Dead Sea is a salt lake located in the Judean desert of southern Israel, bordered by Jordan to the East. It is also called the Sea of Death, Salt Sea, and Sea of Lot.
The Dead Sea is landlocked and cut off from supply of water from the ocean. It is fed by the waters of freshwater springs and aquifers. Due to lack of outflow, the water gathered in the Dead Sea evaporates in the hot desert, leaving behind salt.
The sea is called “dead” because its extreme saltiness means no life can exist in it. The Dead Sea’s water is about 10 times saltier than normal ocean water.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about the sea, is that it is almost impossible for anyone to drown in it. Because its salt water is denser than the human body, no one can sink in it. With its extremely high mineral content, the water is said to have healing benefits, and doctors even prescribe a visit to the Dead Sea as part of natural healing for their patients. The deposits of black mud, from its seabed, are found to be beneficial to the skin. Tourists from around the globe flock to this hypersaline phenomenon, making the Dead Sea the biggest natural free spa on earth.
The Dead Sea is unique because it has the highest concentration of salt of any body of water in the world.
This high presence of salt and its beneficial qualities attracts people from all over the world yearly to visit the Dead Sea.

Indeed salt is a very powerful element in nature and an essential part of man’s health and existence on earth.

In Mathew 13-14, Jesus says we are the salt of the earth.
The two main functions of salt are preservation and adding taste. Being the salt of the earth; means we are designed to preserve humanity from decadence and to give taste to the tasteless world.
As salt of the earth, many destinies are meant to be preserved through us.
As believers in these end-times, we have been sent into this generation by divine design to preserve lives.
God has ordained us to be part of glorious army that He is raising in these last days . Among these army shall be Elijahs – deciding the destinies of nations! There will be Samuels, anointing and appointing kings.
Right in the midst of gloominess and gross darkness of the last days, God is raising a body of believers who will command signs and wonders and manifest His power for the deliverance and preservation of humanity. This is God’s plan for the church.
Romans 8:29-30 tells us that every child of God is a child of destiny. Not just any kind of destiny, but a glorious destiny. As believers in these last days, we are part of the glorious Church which God has designed to be established at the top and exalted above the nations.

Isaiah 2:2 says ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.’

To remain a part of this glorious assembly, let us live revived and ready through a lifestyle of diligent study of the Word, fasting, fervent prayers and passionate worship. Certainly, in the end-times, Heaven is about to release the Church into the fullness of her redemptive colour! God is about to enthrone believers with supernatural authority, to reign in their field of endeavor.
Unfortunately, some believers may miss their place in this army due to lack of spiritual discipline or toying with sin.
To be part of the glorious Church means there will be ‘no wrinkle or spot’ in us. Therefore, let us determine to live in purity and holiness through daily drawing strength from seeking God in His Word and prayers.
Especially in these period of fasting and praying let us bring every spiritual weakness and struggle with sin, before God’s throne of grace so as to receive the needed grace and mercy to overcome.
No matter the cost, let us strive to live spiritually revived so as to be part of this glorious army who will be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to be spiritually sensitive to Your every leading, so that I can take my place in Your great army. Through the manifestation of Your power, I shall indeed live as a salt and light to my generation in Jesus’ Name.
QUOTE:
For you to enjoy victory in the Kingdom of God, you need to develop a kingdom mind that thinks in line with the Word of God. – WORDBITE 222.

Mark 11:24 “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

DAILY READING; Acts 21:37-22:29; Judges 17-18; Psalm 43

Kenneth Erwin Hagin, was an American preacher, known globally for pioneering the Word of Faith movement.
His ministry was birthed from his own firsthand experience of the power of faith and prayers.
When Kenneth E. Hagin was born, he was so small and lifeless that the doctor thought that he was stillborn. From birth, he was diagnosed with “a deformed heart and an incurable blood disease”.
He remained a sickly child who never had a normal Childhood. By age 15, he became partially paralyzed, confined to bed, and told he had little time to live.
In April 1933, his heart stopped beating, and his other vital signs failed three times. Yet, in each of these instances, when he prayed for Christ’s help and forgiveness, he came back to life. Though everyone around him told him to prepare for death, he chose to have faith that God could heal him. During the night seasons when there were no relatives in his room and he was left alone to sleep, he would utilize the time to pray and study the Word of God.
As he learned more about God’s Word, he came across Mark 11:24, which says: “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
This verse sparked faith for healing in his young heart.
As he held on to the Word, God honored his faith. On August 8, 1934, Kenneth Hagin was miraculously raised from his death bed.
After his healing, God birthed in Kenneth E. Hagin the desire to see the lost saved and the sick made well.
He later became an Assemblies of God minister in 1937, and eventually ended up being used by God to raise a global ministry that is still very much vibrant today.

Mark 11:24 says: “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

Whatever we desire, believe and pray about, we will certainly receive from God.
Kenneth Hagin’s life shows that there is no opposition that cannot be overcome through the power of God’s Word and prayers. With all the challenges lined up against him, and with death inevitable, yet through faith and prayer, he got his deliverance.
Truly Jehovah alone has the final say in every situation. He is the God of all flesh and nothing is ever too hard for him.
No matter how difficult any situation you may face, as you cry out to God, always be assured that help is on the way. God is able to revive you from every ‘death bed’ and cause you to walk free into the glorious destiny He has for you.
Keep looking at what is written in God’s Word, because what is written will eventually control what is happening around you. Faith from the Word is the victory that overcomes the world.
Whatever you may pass through, always remember, that your destiny is greater than your disaster. God has great and mighty plans for your life, but you need to connect to that glorious future by calling to Him in prayers.
Certainly, there is an answer for you today as you committedly seek God in this period of fasting and prayer.
As you call upon Him, be assured that He will arise for you, and surely see you through.
Even when things seem turbulent, always know that you serve the God of miracles who can calm every storm and raise a standard against the flood. His ears are ever open to the cry of the righteous. And today, as you call out of a sincere heart, He will surely answer you. For your sake He will arise and destroy every affliction, stagnation and indeed perfect all that concerns you.

PRAYER: Lord, no matter what I may face in life, I know You are my ever present help. Thank You Lord, for always answering when I call and thank You for always causing me to triumph in all situations 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

Psalm 124:7 “Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped”.

DAILY READING; Acts 21:1-36; Judges 16; Psalm 42

The book “High Adventure in Tibet” is the story of Victor Plymire who was an American missionary, sent by God to carry the Gospel to Tibet.
In 1927, Victor Plymire embarked on a 2000-mile trek into the deepest part of Tibet for his evangelistic work.
He and his team navigated through some of the world’s highest peaks, facing blizzards and avalanches. Along their journey they gave out thousands of Bibles and preached to many native people who had never heard the Gospel.
Arriving in Tibet, Victor Plymire was well received by the Dalai Lama, who was the Buddhist head monk and traditionally responsible for the governing of Tibet.
After establishing a mission base, Plymire then decided to go deeper into some villages in Tibet to preach. Although Plymire was warned about the dangers of the trip, after prayers, he felt he should still go. Accompanied by two Tibetan helpers, they arrived at a village controlled by a hostile local chief who rejected the Gospel and ordered that Plymire and his two helpers should be beheaded.
Back in America, at that moment, an elderly Christian woman was awakened from sleep by the Holy Spirit and told to pray for Plymire because his life was in great danger.
Immediately she went into prayers and did not stop until she felt a release.
In the meantime, the Dalai Lama who was aware of Victor Plymire’s trip was prompted to send a runner to the village where they had gone, with a letter warning the chief not to do them any harm. The runner arrived just as Plymire and his two helpers were being led outside to be killed. After reading the Dalai Lama’s letter, the chief immediately ordered his guards to release Plymire and his men.
When the elderly Christian woman later wrote to Victor Plymire, telling him of the prompting to pray for him, Plymire discovered that she had been praying at the exact time of his arrest at the hostile chief’s court.

Psalm 124:7 says “Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped”.

Certainly, God always makes a way of escape for those who trust in Him.
Despite how tight the enemy’s plan of destruction, God is able to cause His children to escape like a bird out of the snare of the fowler.
In any situation where it seems you are tightly cornered, always be assured that God is able to make a way for you. When it seems you are surrounded and there is no escape, God can suddenly raise help for you and create a path of deliverance through the mighty waters.
Therefore, no matter how bad the doctor’s report, the bank account, career challenge or family crisis; don’t get scared.
Understand that you serve the God of divine visitations, who can suddenly intervene when it seems all hope is lost. He is the Lord, strong and mighty in battle and nothing is ever too difficult for Him.
Therefore do not be intimidated. It doesn’t matter the gang-up against you, when God arises, all your enemies must surely be scattered.

God has given us superior weapons of warfare which are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.
When the power of the Spirit is at work in our lives, we will experience miracles of divine orchestration and spiritual strategy that will enable us to escape every trap.
Especially as we spend time in prayer in this period, we will be equipped with the power of the Spirit to overcome every scheme and plot against our progress.
The truth is that either you pray or you become a prey. But as we wait upon the Lord in this season, we will be revived, empowered and equipped to triumph always.
Indeed as we pay the spiritual price of fasting and prayer, we will soon reap the harvest of mighty manifestation of power that will make us unstoppable and indefatigable throughout this year.

PRAYER: Lord, please grant me the grace to constantly maintain a prayerful lifestyle. As I wait upon You in this season, I thank You for empowering me to overcome every enemy of my destiny and be a wonder to my world in Jesus Name.
QUOTE :
Nothing liberates like truth, the truth you know and act upon will set you free.- – WORDBITE 222.

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Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”

DAILY READING: Acts 20:17-34; Judges 14-15; Job 42

Dwight L. Moody was a poorly educated, shoe salesman who exceeded expectations by becoming a great revivalist, mightily used by God.
Moody was born into poverty and when his widowed mother could not afford his education, he stopped schooling in the fifth grade.
When he was 17 years old, he became born again and afterwards moved to Chicago to begin work at a shoe store.
Due to his little education, Dwight couldn’t spell, and his grammar was poor. The first time he applied for church membership, it was denied him because he failed an oral examination on Christian doctrine.
However his desire to serve God overode his educational limitations. Moody became involved with the YMCA, and later began a Mission Sunday school that aimed to reach the “lost” youths and street children in the city.
Unable to properly preach the Gospel, Moody focused more on recruiting street children and bringing them to Church.
Moody never let his educational limitation hinder his fervent service to God. Rather he became a man of deep prayer whose heart constantly panted after lost souls. God blessed his work and his ministry expanded until eventually he started a Church. His life of fervent prayers birthed great manifestations of miracles that drew many people to the Gospel.
Though he never became an ordained minister, yet amazingly this uneducated salesman would be used by God to hold great crusades . This extremely average man without much talent or potential ended up becoming one of the greatest evangelists the world had ever known, leaving a great mark in history.
By the end of his life, he spoke to over 100 million people in evangelical campaigns throughout the world. He eventually became the founder of The Moody Church,, the Moody Bible Institute and also Moody Publishers.

If God can turn an uneducated shoe seller to a great revivalist, certainly He can use anyone who yields to Him.
Despite what may look like inadequacies, God can still accomplish great things through you.. Though you may not have enough money, education, or proper background, what matters most to God is that you have the right heart; a heart that pants after Him. When your heart desires to please God, and you make yourself available, He will work in and through you to accomplish His will on earth.

Sometimes we may feel unqualified and overwhelmed by the magnitutde of what we sense God is calling us to do. When God told Moses to go and deliver the people of Israel, Moses was full of excuses. He felt inadequate especially because of his stutter. But God let Moses know that He could take care of his limitations and use him anyway. When God told Jeremiah that he was going to be a prophet to the nations, Jeremiah told God, ‘ I can’t do it. I’m too young.’ But God told him not to say he was too young because he was going to become His battle axe..
Like Jeremiah and Moses, we may focus on our limitations as excuses not to be greatly used by God: But no matter our hindrances and limitations, God can take us beyond our wildest dreams.
It is not about our ability, It’s about our availability.
As long as we are willing to surrender all to God and let Him work through us, He will take care of all limitations and use us to do great and mighty things.
It is not about our strength, it is about God who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Certainly, God is infinite. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-capable and He can do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ever ask, think or imagine.

Therefore in this season of fasting and praying let us make a fresh commitment to become fully yielded to His will. Let us be prepared to seek God in a deeper and greater dimension until we experience an eruption of revival fire that will usher us into the glorious new heights God has ordained for us this year.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to stop focusing on my limitations, or how unqualified I may be. Certainly, through Christ I can do all things and by Your grace I shall exceed every expectations and scale unimaginable heights in Jesus Name. .

QUOTE;
When God places His hand upon a man in life nothing can come against him, this is because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. WORDBITE 222

Matthew 16:24-25 ‘Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.’

DAILY READING; • Acts 20:1-16; Judges 13; Job 41

Katherine Kuhlman so greatly manifested the power of the Holy Spirit that sometimes when she entered a building, the people in the vicinity would suddenly begin to fall under the Anointing. Her meetings were electrified by powerful moves of the Spirit with amazing manifestations of miracles, signs and wonders.
Kathryn often said that anyone could experience such operation of the Holy Spirit in their life if only they were willing to pay the price as she did.
According to her “Paying the price” was not a one-time experience, but rather a commitment and determination to follow God each day of one’s life.
While growing up, Kathryn was known for her independence, self-reliance and a desire to do things her way. However after giving her life to Christ, she began to understand the crucial need to daily die to the flesh and totally surrender her life to God.
As she got to know God more she began to realize that certain characters in her life would have to be taken to the cross, so that the Holy Spirit could flow through her.
Kathryn often spoke of how she had to embrace the cross and make a full and complete surrender of everything to Jesus. Kathryn’s yielding to the will of God did not come easily. But as she submitted to a lifestyle of prayer, fasting, worship and study of the Word, a change began to take place in her life.
As she paid the price of dying to self and relentlessly seeking God, she soon encountered the Anointing of the Holy Spirit that greatly distinguished her ministry globally and led to the mighty manifestations of.power that transformed many lives.

Everyone God has used to bring revival has always been a man or woman of prayer whose life was first cleansed by God’s purifying fire before it overflowed with His power.
God works in us, before He can work through us. He will cleanse, purge and purify us with His fire, before His power will flow through us.
Through dying to the flesh, our lives become consecrated wholly to God, where He can move us and use us to accomplish His will on earth.

We must understand that the flesh is an enemy of our spiritual progress. Many times our spirit is willing to follow Christ but the flesh is too weak to do so. No matter how much we desire to obey Christ, if our flesh remain alive, we will face a difficult journey of daily struggle with our carnal nature.
Romans 8:7 tells us that the carnal mind is an enemy of God and not subject to the law of God. This is why it is necessary for us to take up the cross, before we can successfully follow Jesus.
The cross is symbol of dying to self. At the cross of Calvary Jesus shed His Blood and died for our sins.
He arose and gave us the power to overcome the struggle with the flesh through living a life of being crucified with Him.

‘Paul said in Galatians 2:20 says ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.’

To experience great success this year, we must choose to live a life of being crucified with Christ. There can be no more room for spiritual laxity or pampering sinful tendencies. And one of the ways we can achieve this is by engaging in a lifestyle of praying and fasting.
Certainly, as we fast and pray in this season, we will be empowered to live a crucified life of denying the flesh and experiencing a mighty flow of the Spirit in our lives.

PRAYER: Lord, Please enable me to constantly discipline myself to walk in Your Will. In this season, by Your grace I shall overcome every spiritual laziness and press forward in Your high calling upon my life in Jesus Name.
QUOTE;
God is preparing you for the season He prepared for your breakthrough WORDBITE 222.

Isaiah 58:6 ‘Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?’

DAILY READING; Acts 19:21-41; Judges 11:34-12:15; Job 40

Charles Grandison Finney was a leader in the Second Great Awakening in America and has been called ‘The Father of Modern Revivalism’.
As a young man he studied law, and became a respected lawyer. However, after his dramatic conversion to Christianity, the next morning, Finney returned to his law office to meet with a client whose case he was supposed to handle. He told this man, “I have a retainer from the Lord Jesus Christ to plead his cause, and cannot plead yours.”
And so began the new career of the man who would become the leading revivalist in the nineteenth century
As an active revivalist, he was known to fast regularly each week to keep his spiritual power and anointing from weakening. Following each fasting period, the presence of God would radiate so powerfully through Finney that people often fell under overwhelming conviction upon his entrance into a place.
The effect of Finney’s meetings was that whole communities were transformed causing crime rates to drop drastically and bringing many souls to Christ.
The zenith of Finney’s evangelistic career was reached at Rochester, New York, where he preached 98 sermons between September 10, 1830, and March 6, 1831. Shopkeepers closed their businesses, posting notices urging people to attend Finney’s meetings. Reportedly, during this revival, crime dropped drastically in the city as many people surrendered their lives to Christ.

Experiencing revival is not accidental. It is the result of deliberately assuming spiritual responsibility. Through prayer and fasting we will become revived and rightly positioned to be used by God to bring revival to the world.
When we humble ourselves in fasting and call upon the Lord in prayer, we will indeed experience a mighty move of the Spirit. The power of God will break the holds of darkness, bring diverse miracles and healings and usher in a great harvest of souls into God’s kingdom.
Indeed prayer and fasting is a Scriptural commandment that leads to the flow of signs and wonders and breaking of yokes.

God says in Isaiah 58:6 ‘Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?’

To be mightily used by God to set captives free, we must be prepared to fulfill the spiritual requirement of fasting.
Fasting may seem unpalatable but it is a necessary price to pay so as to be constantly filled with the fire of the Spirit that destroys yokes.
As believers, fire is our identity. Psalm 104:4 says God makes His ministers flames of fire. To keep our fire burning bright, we must maintain a habit of praying and fasting.
As we do, God will work wonders in our lives and through us people will experience the mighty power of the Spirit.
Indeed as we take the time to wait upon the Lord, we will shine as lights in the world and become spirihtually too hot for any devil to handle.
We must understand that this year, God certainly wants to use us to make a big difference in the world. With all the great prophesies spoken over us this year, we cannot afford to continue in a state of spiritual complacency. Now is the time to engage the power of God to see the glorious fulfillment of revival in our lives.

As we engage the power of prayer and fasting in this season, we will overturn every resistance to our progress and experience the glorious new level of destiny God has ordained for us this year.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to pay the needed spiritual price of praying and fasting to see the manifestation of Your glory this year. Thank You Lord for reviving me and releasing me to revive the world around me in Jesus’ Name.
QUOTE
Illuminate your world for you are a star destined to shine. WORDBITE 222..

Mark 11:24 ‘Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.’

DAILY READING; Acts 19:1-20; Judges 10:1-11:33; Job 39

Dr. Joon Gon Kim was a famous South Korean Christian leader and founder of Korea Campus Crusade for Christ.
He was a man whose heart burned with revival fire. He worked hard towards the evangelization of Korea and the spread of the Gospel to North Korea, China and beyond.
In 1980, Dr. Kim began planning a crusade in South Korea, where millions of people were expected to be in attendance. Though the government gave permission for the crusade to hold, yet six months before the event, the police informed Dr. Kim that they were revoking the permission due to the political turmoil in South Korea at the time.
Disappointed but not defeated, Dr. Kim decided to change things through prayer. He and his team went to a prayer mountain and spent 40 days there before God in prayer and fasting for the crusade.
At the end of the prayers, they went back to the police and surprisingly got a different response. The officers said to Dr. Kim, “we have changed our mind and you can have your meeting!”
And so they were eventually able to hold the crusade which produced amazing statistics; A total of more than 16 million people attended all the meetings held during the five days and more than 1 million people made salvation decisions.

The most awesome power every human being possesses is the power to influence earth from Heaven through prayer.
Prayer shifts things in the spirit realm to establish victory for us in the physical realm.
Challenges are real to life and sometimes it may seem as if the forces coming against you are greater than what you can handle. But God has given us the power of prayer to wage war against every enemy of our destiny and crush every opposition to our advancement.
The believers who will stand in victory are those who know how to go on their knees.
Indeed a believer who knows the power of prayer can never be stranded in life. Through spiritual tenacity, you can break down every resistance and overcome all oppositions. It doesn’t matter how negative things may look around you, through consistent and persistent prayers, you can spiritually re-organize your circumstances.
To live a victorious life, prayer is a necessity. Through spending quality time in study of the Word, prayer and praise we will be positioned for continuous victory.
Therefore today, instead of worrying or fretting over any issue of concern, let us begin to exercise the awesome privilege of prayer and fasting. God causes supernatural things to happen on earth when men and women engage the power of prayer and fasting.
Through this exercise, we can have whatever we desire in accordance with God’s Word.

Mark 11:24 says ‘Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.’

Whatever we desire to see this year let us begin to take them to God in prayer as we wait upon Him in this period. If we truly want to see miracles, signs and wonders, then we must pray.
Certainly, through the power of prayer and fasting we will stop the enemy’s attempt to resist Heaven’s agenda for our lives.
Through prayer, the enemy’s plots will be shattered and we will record unprecedented progress in all our endeavors throughout this year in Jesus Name.

PRAYER; Father, thank You for granting me the grace to accept spiritual responsibility. As I pay the price of fasting and praying in this season, I thank You for renewing my strength and causing me to mount up to greater heights of exploits and glory 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.

Psalm 23:1 ‘The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want, He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He restores my soul..’

DAILY READING – Acts 18; Judges 9; Job 38

From the days of Abraham down to modern times, sheep have abounded in Israel.
This abundance of sheep in the land is reflected when the Scriptures tells us that Job had fourteen thousand sheep (Job. 42:12), and that King Solomon at the Temple’s dedication, sacrificed one hundred and twenty thousand sheep (1Kings 8:63).
The large number of sheep also meant there were many shepherds in Israel.
The Jews of Bible times were first shepherds and then farmers.
Their occupation as shepherds is mentioned several times in the Bible. Great men such as Abraham, Moses, and King David were shepherds during their time. And throughout the centuries the Jews never abandoned entirely their shepherd life.

The work of a shepherd is important for the survival of the sheep.
The sheep depended on the shepherd for provision and protection. For many days the shepherd would work and sleep outdoors, allowing his flock to graze on the green hills. During the night, he would be awake guarding the sheepfolds. At times, the shepherd might shelter his flock overnight in a cave, where they would be protected from wild animals such as lions, jackals and hyenas. If the howl of a wild animal panicked the flock of sheep in the dark of night, the shepherd’s calm, reassuring voice would still them. Each evening, the shepherd counted the sheep and checked the health of the animals. In the morning, he would call, and the flock would follow him to the pasture ground.
The shepherd knows where the green pasture is.
A sheep that departs from its shepherd will not last long. It will either die by hunger or be killed by wild beasts.
Indeed the sheep totally needs the shepherd for his existence and for survival.

So, when the psalmist says ‘the Lord is my shepherd,’ we understand how crucially dependent we are upon God for our provision and protection
Jesus, our Great Shepherd takes responsibility for our wellbeing, but we must follow while He leads us.
To successfully navigate through this life and avoid pitfalls, we need to follow strictly the instructions and leading of our shepherd.

Prov. 3:5 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our heart, and not to lean on our own understanding.
When we let God be the one leading us and guiding us, then He also takes care of all that concerns us.

We must understand that God has a divine call and plan for everyone of us.
He will take care of us when we are walking and working in accordance with His divine purpose for us. God’s will is His bill. God will only pay for what He orders for. So, to enjoy divine provision, we must learn to follow His voice and the vision He has for our lives.
Today, many people are leading themselves, doing whatever they please and expecting God to still take care of them. To enjoy true divine provision and protection we need to constantly seek God’s guidance.

Especially in this new year we must make up our minds to achieve a closer walk with God. As His sheep we need to pay the required price of prayers and study of the Word, to hear the voice of our shepherd.
We will live a more peaceful life when we commit ourselves to always obeying God, knowing that He is strategically ordering our every step.
Indeed as we continue to trust in Him and praise Him in every situation, our great shepherd will lead us to constant green pastures where we will never want or lack throughout this year..

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for Your continual faithfulness in my life. Please help me to submit to Your guidance and be sensitive to the voice of Your spirit. Thank You for guiding me into Your great plans for me this year in Jesus Name.

QUOTE;:
God’s will is God’s bill; God always makes provision for His vision. WORDBITE 222

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”.

DAILY READING; Acts 17:16-34; Judges 7-8; Job 37

Kenneth Max Copeland is the founder and president of Kenneth Copeland Ministries (KCM).
Before his ministry began, Kenneth Copeland desired divine guidance concerning God’s will for his life..
In 1967, he got admitted to Oral Roberts University where he became Oral Roberts’ co-pilot and chauffeur. As part of the flight crew, he attended all Oral Robert’s tent meetings and crusades.
As he continued attending the Bible school, he was quite unsure of what direction his life would take. And so he began to seek God’s face to know what to do. One day in March 1967, Kenneth knew the Lord was trying to tell him something and so he went to a quiet place to pray and listen.
That day, he received God’s call to ministry.
There, as he stood before The Lord, he heard within him, the voice of God, calling him to preach the gospel to the nations. Afterwards Kenneth meditated on what God told him.
He had no money, and there were no meetings scheduled, but he was quite convinced he had clearly heard God. So he began to spiritually prepare to preach to the “nations”. And as he began to step out by faith God began to open doors.
On September 7, 1967, Kenneth Copeland Ministries was birthed.
Calls for him and his wife to minister in various places started coming in. From then on, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland have been preaching the Gospel all around the world. And Up till today they continue to preach the uncompromised Word of God to the nations.

Indeed we need the voice of God to show us the way forward. Those times when we are at crossroads or filled with confusion not knowing what exactly God wants us to do, these are the times we need to get still and wait upon God to hear His voice of divine direction.
There will be times we may not know the definite directions to take in life. But God always knows what is best for us. This is why we must seek Him for guidance. When we commit ourselves to calling upon God through prayers,, He will show us great and mighty things.

In Jeremiah 33:3, God said: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”.

Indeed God guides the steps of His children who seek Him in prayer.
When we pray the price, the Holy Spirit, will be our shepherd, leading us to our green pastures in life.
Through His guidance we will enjoy profiting and progress in every area of life.

However, to be led by the Spirit of God, we must be able to recognize His voice. This comes from spending quality time in prayers and meditating on the Word.
When we meditate on the Word of God, we are training our human spirit to recognize God’s voice and be more in tune with what He says to us.
When we finally receive the desired divine guidance, we will experience peace and calm assurance of knowing that God is in perfect control of our lives.
Failure to pay the required spiritual price of prayer is what causes men to walk in fear, anxiety, and worry.
The truth is that, either you will labor spiritually to hear God’s voice and be at rest or you will find yourself always anxious and plagued by uncertainties..
Today, as we commit to living a life of diligently seeking God’s guidance, surely, He will lead us into the great and mighty plans He has lined up for us this year.

PRAYER: Lord, please give me the strength to diligently seek Your face in my life’s journey. Thank You Lord, for granting me the wisdom to discern Your voice and always follow Your divine instructions in Jesus Name.
QUOTE
God will never allow the flames of trial to burn you more than is necessary. – WORDBITE 222.