HORM Devotional

Romans 5:2 ‘Through Him we also have access by faith into this remarkable state of grace in which we firmly and safely and securely stand.[AMP]

DAILY READING; 1 John 5; Ezra 3-4; Psalm 92

September 11, 2001, and the days that followed were some of the darkest times in America’s history. However, amid the tragedy stood a small beacon of hope —the miraculous survival of Saint Paul’s Chapel.

St. Paul’s Chapel is a tiny historic chapel built in 1766, which was situated next to the World Trade Center. Today, it is called “The Little Chapel That Stood” because though less than 100 yards from the Twin Towers, it miraculously survived the devastating terrorist attack that destroyed the greater buildings.
The beautiful Church which has stood for over 200 years is a major tourist attraction where historic American leaders are known to have prayed. After George Washington was inaugurated as America’s first president, he came down to this church to pray for the new nation.

On September 11 2001, as the hijacked planes crashed into the nearby twin towers, releasing destruction and mayhem, the Church building didn’t suffer as much as a broken window, even the steeple remained intact.
For nine months after 9/11, it became a refuge for thousands and provided a round-the-clock relief ministry to Ground Zero rescue and recovery workers.

Amazingly, it was not the chapel’s only tale of survival. The chapel also stood unscathed during the great fire of 1776, even when so many other nearby buildings were destroyed.
This little chapel has withstood so much and yet continues to survive and stand strong. Today, the chapel is seen as a symbol of hope, resilience and perseverance.

Just like that little chapel, many times we have survived things that could have devastated us.
We can all look back and see the times great attacks came against us and should have defeated us, but somehow through God’s grace we miraculously survived and are still standing strong today.

Even those times it had seemed you were being knocked down, yet somehow you didn’t get knocked out, because God’s grace upheld you.
Indeed when we look back at our history with God, we can see it covered with His faithfulness. This is why we should not get
discouraged by the difficulties of today, because we know that God’s grace is always able to see us through.

If perhaps you are facing an overwhelming situation in your health, finances, or relationships, learn to anchor yourself to the promises of God’s Word, because His Word never fails.
No matter how great or devastating the enemy’s attacks, you have what it takes to constantly overcome.

The Word of God is our guarantee of victory. It generates within us the faith that overcomes the world.

When your foundation is built upon the solid rock of Christ, though the storm, rain and winds may come, you will survive them all and still stand strong.
Indeed God has armed you for victory. Therefore never be intimidated by overwhelming situations. The forces for you are greater than the forces against you. The greater One lives in you and He alone has the final say over your life.
Whatever you’re facing today, you can trust God to carry you through it. His grace and mercy never fails. You will not only survive you will come forth better and greater. When it’s all said and done you’ll still be standing strong and victorious.

Having come to the end of the month of May today, let us thank God for His grace that has brought us thus far.
Though the enemy sometimes came like a flood, God continually lifted a standard against him. Though overwhelming situations came against us, we overcame by the Blood of the Lamb.
As we look forward to the new month, we are assured that God’s grace will continue to prevail in our lives and keep us standing strong and victorious over every trial.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for Your grace that has kept me and preserved me throughout this month of May. I know that You have greater things in store for me in the coming days. Certainly, my expectations to see Your wonders this year shall surely come to pass, in Jesus Name.

Quote
God’s promises in Christ in your life may appear delayed, but never forget that delays are not denials..WORDBITE 222

Luke 21:36 ‘Watch ye therefore, and prayf always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.’

DAILY READING; • 1 John 3; 2 Chronicles 36; Psalm 90

On May 8, 1902, Mount Pelée erupted, killing more than 30,000 people in the city of St. Pierre on the island of Martinique in the Caribbean. It was a devastating event, notable as the worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century.
For over a century, the volcanic Mount Pelee, which towered close to the city of St. Pierre, had been inactive and quiescent with only occasional smokes and some mild shaking of the earth. However, in the weeks before the eruption there were warning signs of fumes, smoke, rockslides, lava.
But many people in the city had ignored these physical warnings. They also had rejected the spiritual warnings of the Gospel.

It was said that just before the volcano erupted a small band of the Salvation Army had come to the city of St. Pierre to preach Jesus and His death on the Cross for sin. However, after some days of preaching, a mob arose to disrupt the meeting of the Salvationists. Amidst roars of derisive laughter, the mob proceeded to show what they thought of the Cross by crucifying a pig in the marketplace. Afterwards, the governing body of the city ordered the Salvationists to leave the city at once.
The Salvationists promptly boarded a ship to return to their home country. However, no sooner had these Salvationists gotten out in the bay away from the city than the volcano uncapped and in a few moments the city was destroyed, with ashes falling hundreds of miles away.
Only eight persons were found alive when rescuers came to the city.

Truly rejecting God’s instruction leads to destruction.
In these last perilous days, we must be careful and sensitive to heed the warnings of the Gospel.
Today in the world, we can clearly see the signs of the end-times unfolding, yet many people still fail to take them seriously.

2 Peter 3:3-5 says that there shall come in the last days “Scoffers, saying, ‘where is the sign of his coming'”?

The truth is that whether the world believes it or not, the signs of the end are already rapidly being fulfilled before our eyes.
Christ’s coming is eminent and it will happen very soon.
Quickly, in the twinkling of an eye, when the world least expects it, the rapture is going to take place.
While people are still eating, drinking and marrying; suddenly the trump of God will sound. Millions of Christians will strangely disappear from the earth in the rapture and the nations of the world will be shaken to the core.
After that will come the period of the greatest tribulation upon earth as the Antichrist begins to rule.
At the end of the seven years of tribulation, Christ will come back the second time, with all power and glory to crush His enemies in the battle of Armageddon and establish His millennial rule.

While all these may sound strange and unreal to unbelievers, the Book of Revelation assures us these events will surely come to pass.
We must therefore take heed to the warnings of the Gospel so as to escape the judgment coming upon the earth.

Luke 21:36 says ‘Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.’

While, God continues to give the world the opportunity to repent and live right, anyone who refuses to heed His warnings will end up seeing the other side of God. Indeed the only thing that matches the love of God is the wrath of God.
Let us today, receive the grace to watch and pray always so as to escape the coming judgment.

Indeed by God’s grace we will run our race acceptably upon the earth. By God’s mercy, we will not be deceived or distracted by the lures of sin, temptations or worldly pleasures of these end times.. Rather we will live in holiness and righteousness, walking in God’s perfect will and fulfill His divine plans for our lives.

PRAYER; Lord, Please help me to daily draw closer to You through a lifestyle of spiritual diligence. Especially in these perilous times, please grant me the grace to walk in obedience to Your Will so as to fulfill Your divine plan for my life in Jesus Name. .

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

James 4:6 ‘But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.’

DAILY READING 1 John 2; 2 Chronicles 35; Psalm 89:38-52

One of the most vicious rulers in the history of Babylon was king Nebuchadnezzar II. He was notorious for waging bloody wars, ruthlessly attacking and annexing neighboring countries.
In 612 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Jewish Temple and took thousands of Jewish armed men, workers, and the King of Judah back to captivity in Babylon.
With the stolen wealth from his conquests Nebuchadnezzar built monuments to his own glory. He built the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and had each brick inscribed with his name.

2,500 years later, Saddam Hussein became ruler of Iraq which is the present-day region of the ancient city of Babylon.
Saddam Hussein saw himself as a modern reincarnation of Nebuchadnezzar. He spent millions of dollars in an attempt to reconstruct the city of Babylon, rebuilding on top of the old ruins of ancient Babylon. Just like Nebuchadnezzar, Saddam had each new brick inscribed with his name.
When archaeologists uncovered a plaque proclaiming Nebuchadnezzar’s greatness, Saddam ordered another plaque alongside it, glorifying the greatness of Saddam Hussein.
And just like Nebuchadneszzar attacked neighboring countries, Saddam also embarked on a campaign of terror and conquest of neighboring countries, first attacking Iran, then Kuwait and ultimately dreamed of recapturing Jerusalem.
Saddam Hussein’s rule was a repressive dictatorship and his government carried out various purges and genocides that killed an estimated 250,000 Iraqis.
Interestingly, Saddam experienced a downfall similar to that of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 4:30 says Nebuchadnezzar was driven from mankind; he ate grass like oxen, his hair grew like eagles’ feathers and his nails were like birds’ claws until he acknowledged the sovereignty of God.
After Saddam Hussein’s government was toppled, he was driven from his palace and after a massive manhunt he was eventually found living in holes, his beards were overgrown, he was tattered, grimy and disheveled. After being convicted of crimes against humanity, Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death by hanging.

Indeed history is full of great lessons. One of the important lessons we can learn is that pride indeed goes before a fall.
Nebuchadnezzar learned this bitter truth when he exalted himself and God made him to eat grass for seven years like an animal, until he learnt humility and acknowledged the greatness of God.
When he was restored back to humanity after learning his lesson, he said, “… and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.”(Daniel 4:37).
Truly pride is a silent destroyer of destiny. It was pride that killed Herod. One day, during a public address, he spoke so eloquently that the people shouted that his voice was the voice of God. Instead of giving the glory to God, Herod’s heart was lifted with pride and at that instant an angel struck him dead. (Acts 12:21-24).

James 4:6 says: …God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Pride is the failure of a man to see the help of God in his affairs. When a man stops seeing what God has done, everything starts going down. Certainly, to take God for granted is to become grounded.
Our breakthrough does not lie in our strength. It is God’s grace that makes great. Truly without God we are nothing and can do nothing. He is the reason why we are alive. It is only because of His mercies that we have not been consumed. The very breath in our nostrils is only because of His grace.
There will never be a day when we won’t need God’s grace because anyone who lacks grace will surely end in disgrace.
The more we honor God the more He honors us.

1Samuel 2:30 says ‘But now the Lord said: be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed’

The more we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, the more He exalts us. The more we praise God, the more He raises us.

Humility comes when we fill our hearts with God’s Word until God completely dominates our hearts and there is no room for pride or self-exaltation.
True humility doesn’t make you think less of yourself, rather it makes you think of yourself less.
Indeed we must continually give God first place in all our affairs. In humility we must always remind ourselves that everything we are we owe to God; everything we have, came from God.

Let us ask God today for the grace to live a lifestyle of diligent study of His Word, prayers and worship so that we can continually abide under the shadow of His mighty Hand and never be exalted in pride.

PRAYER: Lord, please give me the grace to humble myself under Your mighty hands so that I will be exalted in due season. Please uproot every root of pride in me and enable me to always give You all the glory at all times in Jesus Name. .
QUOTE
God is preparing you for the season He prepared for your breakthrough WORDBITE 222.

Job 23: 10
‘But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.’

DAILY READING – 1 John 1; 2 Chronicles 34; Psalm 89:19-37

In the 1960s, the atheist government of the Soviet Union worked hard to destroy Christianity in their nation. One of the methods they applied was to plant their agents in the leadership of the Churches. Pastors were required to cooperate with the agents of the Soviet secret police called the KGB, and submit to their regulations. The Pastors who refused to submit to these government agents were sentenced to prison.

Pastor Joseph Bondarenko was one of the courageous Church leaders who refused to compromise. As a result, he was listed among the KGB’s most wanted criminals. He was arrested three times and served a total of nine years in prison.

However, being put into prison only gave him the opportunity to preach to as many prisoners as he could, leading many of them to Christ. The government officials were infuriated to realize that in trying to punish Joseph Bondarenko, they had only made his ministry work easier by putting him right in the midst of spiritually hungry men. Therefore, for every new prisoner that turned to Christ, they punished him. He was beaten, spent long periods of time in dark dungeons of solitary confinement and was transferred from prison to prison. The KGB colonel promised Pastor Joseph that he would rot to death in prison and repeated attempts were made to kill him. Yet, God’s grace prevailed over Pastor Joseph and he was able to miraculously escape the plots to assassinate him.

As Christians continued to pray, in the late 1980s, the collapse of the Soviet Union began. The full collapse of the Atheist system came in 1991, bringing to an end the 70-year period of severe persecution. Many of the imprisoned Christians gained their long-awaited freedom, including Pastor Joseph. The period he served in jail rather than diminish him had served to expand the scope of his ministry. His time in prison had brought joy and spiritual freedom to many of the prisoners.

Indeed, when we sincerely serve God, our tribulations will often end in jubilation. The fire that was meant to destroy you, God will use it to increase you. When the three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to bow and compromise their faith in God, they were bound and thrown into a fiery furnace. Interestingly, the only thing the fire burned off were the cords that were holding them bound. The fire that was meant to kill them only ended up destroying their bondages and limitations, and they eventually came out of their fiery trial, as better and greater men who were elevated to higher positions in the society.

The same God that delivered the three Hebrew boys from the fiery furnace indeed knows how to deliver us from the fiery trials of life. By His grace, the things that were meant for your destruction will be turned around for your construction. While the enemy thought he was persecuting you, you were only being purified by the fire to come out better and stronger.

Though it had looked like tribulation, it will only eventually work out for your good, and the Lord shall be glorified through your testimony. Indeed, the greater the test, the sweeter your testimony will be.

Genesis 50:20 shows what God can do with something meant to harm you. He can not only protect you in it, but He can also promote you through it. The exact thing Joseph’s brothers had meant to cause him harm was the thing God used to promote him to his destiny.
When you are a covenant child of God, where you were meant to perish, you will only end up flourishing. Where you were meant to stumble, you will end up soaring.

God is indeed faithful to those who refuse to compromise their faith and choose to serve Him even in the face of difficulties. When you refuse to bow to the pressures of the enemy and continue to honor God in your life, you can be sure that He will in turn honor you. You cannot walk in His grace and end up in disgrace.

No matter how difficult or tight any situation you may face, God has the capacity to turn it around for you. Indeed, God knows how to make a way of escape for us out of every fire of trial and temptation.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, ‘God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape’.

Indeed, there is no closed case with God. He is the way-maker and miracle-worker. There is no situation God cannot turn around for you when you stay in faith and praise. In this season, as we continually fill our hearts with the Word of God and stay strong in praise, we will surely soar above all trials and rise to greater heights of destiny.

PRAYER
Lord, I thank You for Your continual faithfulness in my life. I truly want to bless You for Your marvelous helps in all my endeavors. Even right now, I know that Your amazing grace is working in my life to turn every test into a testimony for me in Jesus’ name.

QUOTE
The test you are going through in life today is not for your destruction, it is for your testimony. – WORDBITE 222

Romans 8:15 – For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

DAILY READING; John 21; 2 Chronicles 33; Psalm 89:1-18

On October 20th, 1948, there was a Communist uprising in the town of Suncheon in South Korea. As Communist rioters went on a killing spree, two young sons of a Korean Pastor were among those murdered. A mob of crazed youths who were roaming the city in search of Christians had come to the college where the pastor’s two sons were schooling. A fellow student named Chai-Sun, who had ideological differences with the two boys, betrayed them to the blood-thirsty mob. These Pastor’s sons died calling on the Name of Jesus and urging their killers to accept Christ.
The news of his sons’ deaths struck Pastor Sohn Yan-Won with grief. However, he was thankful his sons preferred death than rejecting Christ to accept communism.

The Communist uprising lasted less than a week as Government soldiers arrived to quell it. Five youths were arrested for the murder of the Pastor’s sons, among them was Chai-Sun.
At the trial of his sons’ killers, Pastor Sohn gave a sermon about forgiveness and saved the five youths from a death sentence.
He then let the government know that he wanted to adopt his sons’ betrayer, Chai-Sun and teach him about Christ. Amazed by the Pastor’s gesture, the government officers released Chai-Sun to him for adoption.
Pastor Sohn devoted himself to teaching Chai-Sun, and the young man quickly became a Christian. Within two years he was a student in the Bible Institute of Korea, after which he became a minister.

The news of how Pastor Sohn had forgiven and adopted the killer of his sons spread through Korea and became a great testament to his Christian faith.
The Story of Pastor Sohn Yang-won is captured in the book ‘White Flame’

Pastor Sohn’s story is like the picture of God’s grace to us.
Although man had crucified God’s only son, yet God still adopted us into His family.
We have all sinned against God, messed up severally in life and made mistakes.Yet, despite all our sins, God forgave us, took us in, gave us His name and the right to call Him “Abba,” which means “daddy,” or “papa”.

God not only adopted us into His family, but also proclaimed us joint heirs with Christ.
Being an “heir” means we now have access to all our Father owns.
Because we have been adopted, we have come into blessings that we didn’t deserve and favor that we didn’t work for.

We now have a new spiritual status and new identity through Christ.
From slaves to sin, we have been transformed into sons of God.
From the kingdom of darkness we have been translated into the kingdom of light.
From humanity we have been reborn into divinity.

Being adopted by God as His sons has opened us up to vast supernatural possibilities. We are now no longer to live limited lives as ordinary men, rather we are to live as signs and wonders to the world.
Just as Jesus the Son of God lived an extraordinary life on earth, our lives are to be filled with miracles.

We cannot claim to be sons of God and yet there’s no significant difference between our lives and the lives of unbelievers.
God’s grace invites us and requires us to change our attitude about ourselves.
It is indeed time for us to begin to walk in the reality of our divine identity as adopted sons of God.
We must make a total break with our sinful past and begin to walk in the newness of the divine life that Christ has purchased for us through His Blood.

It is indeed time to rise above living like ordinary men; enough of living in sin, sickness, poverty, addictions and mediocrity.

Just as God sent Jesus into the world so has He sent us. We are to be lights to the world and salt to the earth.
We are to continually bring glory to God through living in holiness and purity.

Today, through the power in the Blood of Jesus, we receive the grace to arise above earthly limitations and truly begin to shine as sons of God in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for my divine identity as Your child on the earth. By the power in the Blood of Jesus, I receive the grace today to arise above every bondage and truly begin to live as a sign and wonder to my world in Jesus Name.

QUOTE
The truth of God’s Word in the life of a believer is always reflective, the results can never be hidden. – WORDBITE 222.

2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…” (NIV)

DAILY READING • John 20:19-31; 2 Chronicles 32; Psalm 88

Adoniram Judson and his wife Ann, were among the first foreign missionaries in American history.
During the 18th century, they were serving in Burma when war broke out between the United Kingdom and Burma in 1824.
This war became a rough interruption to their missionary work as the Burmese army began arresting every foreigner in their nation accusing them of being spies.
One day, officers of the Burmese army burst into the Judson’s home. They threw Adoniram Judson to the ground in front of his pregnant wife and bound him with torture thongs. They then dragged him off to an infamous death prison at Ava.

After Adoniram was imprisoned, his wife Ann became a model of supreme courage. She gave birth soon afterwards and while nursing the tiny baby she was beset with raging fevers.
But despite her frail health, and the fact that she was the only Western woman left in an anti-Christian country at war with the West, she began to fight for her husband’s release.
Heedless to all threats against herself,
she rushed from office to office in desperate attempts get her husband freed.
The strength and tenacity Ann Judson displayed during this trying period was clearly beyond her. It could only have been divine grace. Eventually her prayers were answered and her husband was finally released. Though most of the other people imprisoned with him died, somehow the grace of God prevailed and he was preserved.

Adoniram and Ann Judson continued their ministry in Burma, and helped to lead many of the Burmese people to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Indeed the history of Christian missions is filled with such inspiring stories as the Judsons who through God’s grace survived great odds.

The truth is that when we are committed to serving God we will sometimes face situations that stretch us and test our spiritual strength.
Though it may not be such extreme situations like the Judsons, yet trials and tribulations are life’s examinations that every believer passes through.
However, no matter the challenge, we can always count on God’s sufficient grace to carry us through.

2 Corinthians 12:9, says “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…”

The word “sufficient” means adequate for every scenario.
This means that there’s no situation in our lives that grace can’t address.
It doesn’t matter how formidable the trial, God is able to make all grace abound towards you, so that you having all sufficiency in all things might be able to overcome.

Though the challenge may seem bigger and greater, as you keep looking unto Jesus, you will eventually emerge victorious.

Jesus is called the author and the finisher of our faith. What He begins in us He is also able to accomplish.
He not only gives us the grace to start, He also gives us the grace to finish.

As we run life’s race , anytime we feel overwhelmed and feel we can’t go on, His grace shows up to carry us through to the finish line.

Indeed we are never alone. God is always there as our ever present help in times of need. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

If the odds seem against you, do not try to go on your own strength, rather tap into God’s sufficient grace through prayer and study of the Word.
Stay in the place of fellowship until you can feel His strength overtaking every weakness and moving you forward to victory.
Indeed when we rely on God’s grace, that is when we are at our strongest.

Today, no matter what you may be facing, you are not without hope or help. If you are tempted to get discouraged or give up, always remember that the greater One lives in you.
By His grace you can stand strong in the face of any trial.
Let the word of God be your strength and standard. When you have a consistent prayer and study life, there will be hidden strength within you.
Through the faith that comes from the Word you will certainly, always overcome the world.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to tap into Your sufficient grace through spending quality time in fellowship with You.
No matter any difficulty I may face, I know that surely by Your grace I will always overcome in Jesus Name.

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

Zechariah 4:7 ‘Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.’

DAILY READING; John 20:1-18; 2 Chronicles 31; Psalm 87

Angelus Temple is America’s first megachurch. It was the largest construction of its time in North America.
It was built by Aimee Semple McPherson who was one of the greatest female evangelists in Church history, and founder of the Foursquare Gospel Church.
The construction of the Angelus Temple was a faith project which was accomplished only through God’s grace.
By 1918, Aimee received a vision to build a house unto the Lord in Los Angeles. She would later write that she asked God: “Who ever heard of a woman without earthly backing … undertaking the raising of funds and the erecting of such a building?”
Though she didn’t have the money she decided to follow God’s instruction. She packed her bags and with her family headed to Los Angeles.
At that time, Los Angeles was the city of movie stars, but it was also home to many who were lost, lonely, and sickly.
After arriving in the unfamiliar town, Aimee was led by God to a plot of land for the building. She virtually scraped every resource to buy the land but did not have the money for the construction. However, that wasn’t a concern for Aimee because she trusted in God’s provision.
When she had only enough cash to excavate the property, she told the contractor, “You dig the hole, and God will fill it!”
Indeed God filled it.
Though the project had faced great challenges and many people had doubted her ability to complete it, to everyone’s surprise, God moved supernaturally and the Angelus Temple was finished and dedicated in 1923.
The Angelus Temple became one of the grandest buildings in America at the time and pioneered the use of modern media in Church services, using radio to draw multitudes.
According to Church records, Angelus Temple received 40 million visitors within the first seven years.
The entire temple was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1992. And for nearly 100 years Angelus Temple has continued to stand as a wonder and a testimony of God’s grace and faithfulness.

Zechariah 4:6 says ‘Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, 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 above prophecy came to Zerubbael when he faced very discouraging situations. At that time he was trying to build the second Jewish temple after the first temple, built by King Solomon, was destroyed in 586 BC, by the Babylonians.
Zerubbabel was battling with oppositions, backbiters, disappointments and lack of financial support. As a result of all these problems for seventeen years the temple had sat unfinished.
Then, God sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to encourage Zerubbabel with Words of prophecy and support him.
The assurance of God’s Word emboldened Zerubbabel to confront his mountains and he asked ‘Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.’[Zechariah 4:7]
Zerubbabel resumed again the building and four years later, in 516 BC, the temple was completed and dedicated with great fanfare. And just as prophesied the headstone was laid with shouts of ‘Grace, grace’.

The grace of God indeed enabled Zerubbabel to complete the building of the temple, at a time when he could have given up.
The covenant secret that enables us to finish our race is God’s grace. At a time, when it seems you can no longer go forward, God’s grace takes over and accomplishes for you what you cannot do for yourself.

Just like Zerubbabel, maybe today, you are facing delays or have projects that have been put on hold due to oppositions, but in this season, every mountain is about to be leveled and every crooked path made smooth.
Through God’s grace, the mountains of sickness, mountain of fear, and financial uncertainty will all be leveled in your life.
It will not by might, or by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord.

Just as the prophecy came to Zerubbabel to begin again, it is the same word to many of us today, ‘begin again’. Despite past frustrations and oppositions, ’begin again’. Don’t give up, don’t give in. Though weeping may have endured for the night, your joy is about to break forth.
Though it may seem you have passed through endless delays and disappointments, God is about to given you divine speed and ease. He will restore to you the years the cankerworms may have eaten.
Through God’s grace you will gain acceleration in the race.
Through study of the Word and prayers, you will gain the boldness to come to the throne of grace to obtain the help you need.
Certainly, as we begin to engage the mystery of grace today, every mountain will be made plain and we will enjoy ceaseless and outstanding breakthroughs in all our endeavors.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to develop greater intimacy with You through fellowship, prayers and study of Your Word, so that I can always boldly come to Your throne of grace to obtain the help that I need. Thank You Lord for granting me divine speed and ease in this season in Jesus Name.
Quote
God protects and shields us when we are being led by Him. – WORDBITE 222.

1 John 5:14-15 [NIV] “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know…he hears us—whatever we ask—we know…we have what we asked of him”.

DAILY READING John 19:16-42; 2 Chronicles 30; Psalm 86

A Christian mother had prayed long for her teenage son’s salvation. Though he had been raised in a Christian home, he had drifted far from any real relationship with God.
The boy’s younger sister, who was a serious believer decided to join their mother in praying for her brother’s salvation. She began praying three times every day pleading for his soul.
A month later, the boy’s mother travelled on a few days visit to a relative who lived 60kms away. While there, one afternoon she decided to spend the time praying for her son. His mother kept praying that afternoon until she felt a breakthrough. Deep inside she knew God had heard and answered.
At that particular time, back home, the boy was bored and began looking for something interesting to read.
He went to his father’s study and saw a little Gospel booklet he had not seen before. He picked up the booklet, planning to read only the first part that contained an interesting story of someone’s conversion, while ignoring the second part that contained Bible verses and preaching explaining salvation.
The teenager read the first part but then wanted to read just a little more. He eventually ended up reading the whole booklet which was talking about “the finished work of Christ.”
He then began to think about these words. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Finally he prayed, telling God that from that moment on he was going to believe the message that Christ had died for him. That day, he became gloriously born again.
This boy’s name was Hudson Taylor. In time he would go as a missionary to China where he would spend 51 years. He began the China Inland Mission, which was probably the single most powerful missionary organisation in China.
Today there are conservatively around 75 million evangelical Christians in China with almost 250,000 new believers added every year. God used Hudson Taylor to build an extraordinary foundation for this present day growth.

Despite Hudson Taylor’s initial rebellion, his mother and sister didn’t give up on him, they persisted in prayer until he came into alignment with his divine destiny.
Through prayer, we have the divine ability to help others reach their destiny. There are loved ones who cannot break out of the chains holding them bound except we pray. They may not be able to stand on their feet except we go on our knees in prayer.
No matter how far gone such people may seem, through prayers, God’s grace and mercy will reach them and change their story.
When we pray, things begin to shift in the spirit realm; our prayers activate the workings of grace and causes angels to go to work.
As we pray, the chains holding them back begin to loosen. The hold of sin over their lives is broken, and the forces of darkness begin to release the strongholds in their minds.
Though we may not see drastic results overnight, certainly, our prayer begins to make a big difference.
No matter how long the answer lingers, don’t get discouraged. Remember, it’s God’s will to save them, and when we are praying in accordance with His will, we know that He hears us.
1 John 5:14-15 [NIV] says “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know…he hears us—whatever we ask—we know…we have what we asked of him”.

Indeed, we must never give up on praying for those God brings our way. Some of them are carrying greatness in their wombs and we have to stand as spiritual midwives to help them birth their great destinies.
No matter how hopeless their present conditions may seem, we have to realize that as long as there’s life, there’s hope!
Jesus could have given up on the thief on the cross, but the last miracle He worked on earth was to see that hopeless sinner saved and headed for paradise.
Just as we are products of grace, we should pray until we see others saved by grace.

PRAYER: Lord, I know that when I am impacted by You, I will be empowered to impact people positively. Please help me to constantly stand in prayer for others and to walk in love towards those around me in Jesus Name. .
Quote
For you to enjoy victory in the Kingdom of God, you need to develop a Kingdom mindset, that thinks in line with the Word of God. WORDBITE 222

1Peter 1:8 KJV ‘Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary goes about as a roaring lion, seeking for whom to devour.’

DAILY READING – • John 18:38-19:16; 2 Chronicles 29; Psalm 85

The Second Lebanon War was a month-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon in 2006.
It was instigated when Hezbollah guerrillas conducted a perfidious cross-border raid in which they killed eight Israeli soldiers and abducted two others. The war led to heavy losses on both sides of the conflict and an ultimately inconclusive result. The fighting ended on August 14, 2006 with the signing of a United Nations-brokered ceasefire and the war was officially ended when Israel lifted it naval blockade of Lebanon on September 8, 2006.
In total, Israel lost 121 soldiers, while Hezbollah lost more than 600 fighters.

Though it seemed Israel suffered less casualties, yet the 121 soldiers killed, was deemed a very heavy loss by Israel. This is because the life of every soldier is very important to Israel due to the small size of its military force.

Today the memory of the 121 Israeli soldiers are inscribed on a section of the border fence where the Hezbollah ambush had occurred.
121 flowers are painted on the wall, a flower for every soldier lost.

While the Israel Defense Force is widely respected as a cutting-edge military machine, yet the IDF’s main resource remains the high caliber of its soldiers. These soldiers are trained to respond rapidly in repelling attacks.
Every soldier is trained to live in a constant state of alertness and readiness, this has contributed to making them one of the finest military forces in the world..

Indeed it takes training to reign in life.
Life is a battlefield, and those who emerge victorious are those pay adequate attention to spiritual training.

Our survival as believers is dependent upon our level of spiritual alertness.
We must understand that things are first determined in the spiritual realm before they manifest in the physical.
Battles are first fought and won in the spiritual before we can see physical results..

Therefore, to be winners in life, we must be in control of the things happening spiritually around us.

We must be spiritually sensitive and alert so as to foresee possible dangers and tackle them.

Ephesians 6 lets us know that we are in a serious spiritual battle, not with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places.

Faced with such enemies we can’t afford spiritual carelessness.
The Bible says ‘woe unto them that at are ease in Zion.’

We must live spiritually alert.
Jesus severally admonished believers to watch and pray and to live ready.
We have to always live battle ready, because there is an enemy on the prowl, looking for whom to devour.

1 Peter 1: 8 admonishes us to be sober and vigilant, because the enemy is going about as a roaring lion, seeking whom to devour.

We are to live always prepared for war. We prepare by diligently studying the Bible, fellowshiping with the Spirit and keeping the fire always burning on our prayer altars.
We must always store up spiritual strength in readiness for battle.
The Bible says in Proverbs 24:10 that if you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.

Indeed we must be equipped through the Word to always react in faith because faith is the victory that overcomes the world. When challenged what you have put into your mind is essentially what flows out. This is why you must be committed in putting the Word of God into your mind daily, so that when confronted, the Word of God flows out of your mouth to establish your victory. Indeed the Word is the answer to every challenge of life.

Today, let us receive grace for high level spiritual preparations that will guarantee our high level manifestations.
Indeed as we maintain maximum spiritual vigilance, we shall certainly win every battle and always emerge more than conquerors.

PRAYER: Lord, please grant me the grace for spiritual vigilance and alertness.
Please help me to be constantly prayerful and filled with the Word. Indeed by Your grace, I will always have the victory in every situation in Jesus Name

QUOTE:
As a child of God, you have to recognize that you are in the middle of an ongoing battle.

Psalms 119:18 “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”

DAILY READING; • – John 18:19-38; 2 Chronicles 27-28; Psalm 84

John D. Rockefeller was one of the world’s wealthiest men and a major philanthropist. He changed the oil industry forever with his Standard Oil Company.
In the mid-1890s, he retired from day-to-day business operations and became a philanthropist, giving away the bulk of his money. Rockefeller donated more than half a billion dollars to various educational, religious and scientific causes through the Rockefeller Foundation.
While many people, towns and organizations benefitted from his philanthropy, there is a story of a town that missed the opportunity to benefit from him simply because they had failed to recognize who he was.
According to this story, John D. Rockefeller was visiting the east coast of America and his yacht stopped to harbour in a small resort area along the coast. At that particular time, this small town was having an open town meeting concerning some financial problems they were facing.
John D. Rockefeller stopped by and dropped in on their meeting. Among the two dozen people in the room, no one seemed to know who he was. As various projects were discussed, he tried to make comments, but he was often interrupted until he eventually kept quiet and left.
But just as he went out, someone arriving late to the meeting came in and said breathlessly, “What was he doing here? Is he going to help us out?”
The rest of the men said, “Who are you talking about?”
The man said, “You mean you don’t know who that was? That was John D. Rockefeller. His yacht is in our harbour. Didn’t you get his help?’
In despair someone said, “No, we didn’t get his help; we didn’t know who he was!”
These men, it seemed had missed a golden opportunity for financial assistance in their town’s projects simply because they had failed to recognize John D. Rockefeller as he stood before them.

As believers, there are destiny moments where amazing opportunities unexpectedly open up before us.
These are seasons of life when God opens to us windows of grace.
However to make the most of these seasons we need to recognize them.

In the Scriptures, the Greek word “Kairos’ is used to define an opportune moment. It has to do with an appointed season of favor.

In our life’s journey,, God has strategically ordained these Kairos moments for us. In those times, God will bring destiny helpers, and divine opportunities meant to help us to our next levels.
While God provides these opportunities, we must move with faith to see the fruits.

Oftentimes these opportunities are not easily recognizanle and it takes grace to discern them.. What may initially seem like a small opening often turns out to be our access to more opportunities.
After we go through the first door, we will then discover that it leads to another door, which leads to another door, and so on.
However, we must be able to recognize the first door and have the faith to walk through it to get to the other opportunities God has packaged for us.

God’s power is dispensed to us daily via His graces.
However, we need to be more sensitive and discerning to utilize these times of grace as they come. This is why is it important to live a life of spiritual fervency through diligent study of God’s Word, prayers and fellowship with the Spirit.

The truth is that we can no longer afford to keep missing the divine opportunities that God brings our way. We don’t have time to keep going around the mountain again and again. When the Israelites missed their opportunity, they turned an eleven-day journey to the Promised Land into a 40 years journey.

In this season, by God’s grace, our eyes will be opened to not only see but also to begin to seize the divine opportunities that come our way.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for Your marvelous help in my life. Please help me not to miss Your divine opportunities for me. I thank You Lord for the great and mighty things You have in store for me in this year of wonders in Jesus’ Name.

QUOTE:
The treasures of God are never on the shallow end but are always buried in the depths of God’s Word. It takes a personal discovery to get there. – WORDBITE 222.