HORM Devotional

1Corinthians 15:57 ‘But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’

DAILY READING • John 7:1-24; 1 Chronicles 27-28; Zechariah12

David Frazier used to be a rock star and part of the band “Outspoken,”.
With a hit single and lucrative record deal, David Frazier and his band “Outspoken,” were on the verge of rock stardom. However, David would eventually lose it all and hit rock bottom due to his addiction to crack cocaine.

Though he was a pastor’s kid, David lived a rebellious lifestyle. After high school, and a short stint in the Marines, David helped form the band, “Outspoken.”
Before long, the group was playing in front of thousands of admiring fans and David thrived on it, enjoying being worshipped by fans.
Being a rock star fueled David’s need for drugs and soon crack cocaine got the best of him. It got so bad that getting his next fix was the only thing that mattered. It seemed that all he was living for was just getting enough money to keep staying high.
He started missing rehearsals and recording sessions and was eventually kicked out of the band.
After that for the next five years he was in and out of crack houses. Several times he tried to get clean, but he couldn’t escape his addictions. One day while trying to buy some drugs, David was attacked and his money stolen. With no money left to buy drugs, he felt so out of his mind, he couldn’t function. And that was the point he decided to end his life.
Scraping up some loose change, he bought a bottle of beer. After he drank it, he broke the bottle, intending to use the jagged edges to cut his wrists, but just as his hand hovered an inch over his wrist, to slash it, he heard the voice of the Lord clearly speak to him, ’call your mom, right now.’
He obeyed and called his mum. Shortly after, his brother was able to find his location and picked him up.
The next day, his family got him to a rehab facility. David said from that moment, his desire for drugs went away immediately. He gave his life to God and eventually turned a new leaf.
Today, David Frazier runs a ministry, an online Bible institute that counsels men struggling with addictions.

It is never too late with God. Just when it looks like it is all over, God is able to show up even at the last moment to bring deliverance. This is why we must never stop praying for our loved ones. We must never stop praying over any situation. Even in situations that seem hopeless, God is still at work behind the scenes. He knows how to reach the lost, He knows how to pull them out of the jaws of the lion. Sometimes we may not know what is really going on in the lives of people, they may look alright on the surface, while inwardly their world is being turned upside down. But when we keep our children, our spouses, our family and friends in prayers, God can reach them in the midst of their mess, God can speak to them at those times, when their ears have been shut from hearing any other voice.
One thing we can always be sure of is that God answers prayers. We may not know when or how, but surely He does hear the cry of the righteous. You may have been praying over a loved one for so long and it may look like that situation may never change, but don’t give up. God is already working in ways and methods you cannot fathom and sooner than you know it, you will see God’s awesome and mighty deliverance come into manifestation.
Over that situation that you have been praying about, you will soon see God’s divine orchestration as the lines begin to fall for you into pleasant places. You cannot tell how, but you will look up and see that God has indeed exceeded your expectations and done far above what you could ever ask, think or imagine. That is the way our God works, He is faithful to the end and those that put their trust in Him are never put to shame.
Certainly, through the Blood of Jesus we have the guarantee of victory over every challenge. God is always at work, turning situations around for us. Therefore at all times, let us keep blessing the Name of the Lord.
In every circumstance, let us continue to look unto Him and give Him worthy praise. We serve the wonder working God. Through His sufficient grace we will surely triumph over every trial and certainly, through the Blood of Jesus, the victorious is ours.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for Your grace that has brought me thus far. I know that even now You are working in my favour. Lord I thank You that through the mystery of the Blood of Jesus, every impossible situation is turned to my testimony today, in Jesus Name

QUOTE;
God knows how to work everything together in your life for your own good. WORDBITE 222.

Psalm 71:7 ‘I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.’

DAILY READING • John 6:60-71; 1 Chronicles 25-26; Zechariah11

It is indeed amazing that in the entire world no two people have the same fingerprints.

The study of fingerprints has been around for about 100 years, and in all that time, no two people have ever been found to have the same prints.

Forensic scientists have used fingerprints in criminal investigations as a means of identification for decades. They have determined that not even identical twins have prints that are exactly matched.

Identical twins often share personality traits, interests and habits. They come from the same fertilized egg and share the same genetic blueprint. To a standard DNA test, they are indistinguishable.

Yet one sure way to tell them apart is through their different finger prints!

Fingerprints are unique to each individual and the permanent scarring of the finger is the only way a fingerprint can change.

This unique feature of fingerprints has made it one of the main ways to identify people involved in a crime.

Indeed fingerprint identification is one of the most important criminal investigation tools due to their persistence and their uniqueness.

God is a strategic and master planner. He created each of us an original copy. The fact that you have your own unique pattern of fingerprint shows that you are not mass produced. You are a master piece.

No one else has been given exactly the same makeup as God has given you. Your face, your fingerprints, your voice, and your genetic makeup are matched by no one else’s. God has specially handcrafted you with your unique personality, talents and characteristics.

What it also means is that you have a unique purpose in life. No one else has your abilities and talents combined with your personality to do the job God has called you to do.

You are anointed to be you. God has uniquely crafted you to fulfill your preordained destiny. In the race set before you, your track is different from others’. When you understand that your track is especially equipped for you, then you will not compete with anyone in the race of destiny.  

We must be content with who God has made us to be. There is nothing ordinary about you.

Don’t let the enemy tell you that you are insignificant. Don’t let the pressures or challenges of life cause you to abandon your high calling in life to settle for a low life or mundane existence.

There is something significant about you, something that will cause you to stand out few years from now if only you will remain faithful to your call.

Therefore focus on fulfilling the unique assignment designed for you by God.

Those who despite the pressures of life and persist in following God’s unique plan for them, end up as wonders to the world. That is where you belong. Therefore do not settle for less

In Romans 12:2, Apostle Paul is essentially saying, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold”.

There’s a constant pressure trying to squeeze you into being common, into doing what everyone else is doing. Don’t let that thinking rub off on you. If others want to be common, that’s their choice. But you are created to stand out in the world.

You have the fingerprints of God all over you. God made you in His own image and His royal Blood is flowing through you.

The high price of the Blood of Jesus was paid for your redemption. You cannot afford to end up as a nonentity.

Therefore focus on fulfilling the unique assignment designed for you by God. Follow your calling.

Do not settle for less when God has the best for you. Though the road may not be easy, keep pressing forward to the high calling of God in Christ Jesus for you.

As you stay close to God, drawing strength from the Word and guidance through fervent prayers and fellowship with the Spirit, it is only a matter of time before you arrive at your preordained place in life as a sign and wonder to the world.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to understand that I am uniquely created and designed by You for a specific purpose. I thank You that the Blood of Jesus has redeemed me to be a winner in life. Thank You for granting me the grace to successfully run the race set before me in Jesus Name.

QUOTE

There is more to you than meets the eyes. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. – WORDBITE 222.

Psalms 105:14-15 “He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes; Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.”

DAILY READING John 6:22-59; 1 Chronicles 24; Zechariah10

Boeing is an American aerospace company which is the world’s largest and foremost manufacturer of Aircrafts.
Recently, Boeing analyzed worldwide commercial flights from 2007 to 2016 to determine the period of a flight in which most plane crashes took place.
Their study revealed that 48 percent of all fatal air accidents occurred during the final descent and landing of an aircraft. This period, when the plane neared the end of its journey, was when most crashes and onboard fatalities occurred.
Though the cruising stage of the plane takes up 57 percent of flight time, yet only 11 percent of accidents occurred at this stage.
The Boeing research showed that the period of landing is statistically more dangerous than any other part of a flight.
The last fraction of a plane’s journey was where most accidents were recorded.

Interestingly, in the past centuries, the same was also said about journeys by ship.
It was found that the most dangerous part of an ocean trip was the last few miles, as a ship approached close to land.
A ship could navigate a wide sea safely only to be wrecked as it approached port. This was why it became necessary to set up Light Houses to guide ships safely to harbor and save them from shipwreck as they neared the land.

Similarly, the most perilous part of man’s journey on the earth are the last days. Undoubtedly, the most dangerous period in human history is this final period of the end-times.

2 Timothy 3:1-2 says ‘But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:’

As we draw near to the end of this age, we are truly living in perilous times. Because the enemy knows that he has only “a short period of time” left, he is releasing his worst battles and greatest temptations into the world during this last leg of humanity’s journey on the earth.

However, while it may be a time of gross darkness in the world, 2 Peter 1:19-21 assures believers that God’s prophetic Word will be as “a lamp shining in a dark place,”.
God’s Word will be our Light House, guiding us through the darkness. The Word will be a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path.
Through the perils and dangers of these final days, we will be delivered from the shipwreck of destiny through the light of God’s Word.

We have to understand that God has a plan of deliverance and exemption for His people in these last days.
In Ezekiel 9:6, God gave prophet Ezekiel a vision of Jerusalem in which there was a protective identification upon the righteous. God’s instruction was that destruction should not come on the people upon whom was the ‘mark’.
Also in Revelation 7:3 the angels were told not to harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until they had sealed the servants of God on their foreheads.

So for the servants of God, there is a mark of exemption that will separate them from destruction in the last days.
That mark is the Blood of Jesus.
The mark of the Blood places a ‘touch not’ seal on every one who is walking in obedience to God’s Word.
This is our hope on this last lap of the earth’s journey.
When the children of Israel journeyed through the wilderness, God placed a seal of protection upon them.

Psalms 105:14-15 says “He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes; Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.”

As believers, we are the anointed of the Lord and we have been made untouchable by the Blood.
Despite, the insecurities, rumors of wars, pestilences and financial instabilities of the last days; our case has been made different by the Blood of Jesus.
While there may be gross darkness in the world, certainly, it is our season to arise and shine. It is the time of the emergence of the glorious Church and manifestation of the sons of God.
Therefore, let us align to God’s end-time plan through a lifestyle of fervent prayers, worship and diligent study of the Word.
Certainly, the last days will be our best days, because, for us, God has saved the best for the last.

PRAYER:
Lord, I thank You for the seal of the Blood of Jesus which has separated me and my family from the evils of these end-times. Please grant me the grace for obedience to Your Word, so that I can continually abide under Your divine cover in these last days in Jesus Name.

QUOTE
Your heart needs to be filled with The Word of God to the point of overflow. – WORDBITE 222.

1 John 4:4 ‘Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’

DAILY READING; John 6:1-21; 1 Chronicles 22:2-23:32; Zechariah9

Open Doors is an international organization that supports persecuted Christians. Recently they released their 2021 World Watch List, documenting 50 countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian.

This new report says that 309 million Christians today live in places with very high or extreme levels of persecution.
The report reveals that every single day, an average of 13 Christians are murdered for their faith while 12 churches or Christian buildings are attacked.

North Korea has continued to rank No. 1 as the most oppressive country since 2002 when the watch list began.

Last year, 91% of the total number of Christians killed for their faiith occurred in African countries like Nigeria.
According to the report, abduction of Christians in Africa rose by 63 percent with Nigeria toppinng the list.

Pakistan had the highest number of forced marriages, with about 1,000 Christians forced to marry non-Christians against their will.
Overall Asian countries accounted for 72 percent of all forced marriages worldwide.
The remaining 28 percent was in Africa and Nigeria headed the list.

Last year, out of a total of 4,277 Christians unlawfully jailed worldwide,
China topped the list. The Chinese government arrested, jailed, or detained without charge a total of 1,147 Christians for faith-related reasons.

However, despite all this despondent news, this is what the president and CEO of Open Doors USA, Mr. David Curry, stated “The numbers of God’s people who are suffering should mean the Church is dying, but that’s not what’s happening. Instead, in living color, we see the Words of God recorded by the prophet Isaiah: ‘I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert’” (Isa. 43:19, ESV).

Indeed despite the persecutions, God continues to build His Church and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it.

While persecution may be on the rise in these perilous last days, it is God’s plan for His people to triumph always.
It is not His will for us to become cheap victims of the enemy.

Through the Blood of Jesus, God has made provision for our divine protection and deliverance.

Jesus paid a great price at the cross to ensure our divine security and guarantee our victory over every harassment of the enemy.

Revelation 12:11 says ‘And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.’

At the Cross, Jesus conquered hell, death and the grave.
The same blood of a winner and conqueror in Him flows through us today.

Through redemption, we have divine ability to win in all and every battle that comes against us. We are born of God, and whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).

However revelation is what guarantees our triumph in life.
While Jesus has made tremendous power available through His Blood, we need a personal understanding to fully appropriate this power.

Despite the troubling reports of persecutions, we have to understand that there is One dwelling in us who is greater than the world. [1 John 4:4].
This greater One in us is the Lord, mighty in battle, against whom no gate of hell can prevail.
Knowing that this God is with us, infuses in us the faith and confidence to overcome every adverse situation.

All the heroes mentioned in Hebrews 11 overcame in battle through their faith in God.

Likewise, through study of God’s Word, we can acquire the faith to overcome the persecutions of these last days.
Lack of knowledge is why people perish. But they that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.

It is our decision to take spiritual responsibility to seek the truth that sets free.The price has been paid at the Cross therefore affliction cannot arise a second time in any area of your life.
God has given us the power to overcome sickness, poverty, family crisis and every harassment of the enemy.
Let us therefore today, begin to engage the Blood in battle, to establish our victory over every affliction and persecutions of the enemy in these last perilous days.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for the power in the Blood of Jesus. Today I receive the grace for indepth study of the Word, so that I can know how to fully engage the power in the Blood to overcome in every area of 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

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: John 5:19-47; 1 Chronicles 20:1-22:1; Zechariah8

The British evangelist, Smith Wigglesworth greatly manifested the power of God wherever he went. He was often invited to minister in several countries across the globe.

When he was invited to minister in Sweden, his preaching was accompanied with amazing manifestations of power, diverse healings and miracles.
However, these divine healings so angered some of the doctors and religious people that they wrote a petition to the Swedish parliament. This resulted in Wigglesworth being forbidden to touch the people or to lay hands on them in public for their healing.
This proved to be a challenge because Wigglesworth usually laid hands on people when praying for them.
Soon after being given this order, he went to minster at a crusade where an estimated crowd of at least 20,000 people had gathered to hear him and receive healings.
Swedish government authorities also came to this meeting to arrest Wigglesworth if he tried to lay hands on anyone.
Faced with this dilemma Wigglesworth prayed for divine guidance and God gave him wisdom on what to do. After ministering he said to the sick people, “Now each one lay hands on himself and I’m going to pray that the Lord will heal you.” As they laid their hands on the afflicted parts of their bodies, Wigglesworth prayed a simple prayer of faith. The power of God moved mightily through the crowd and there were diverse manifestations of divine healings.
The government authorities that had come to arrest him were flabbergasted. They could not indict him for breaking the law and yet people had been miraculously healed right before their eyes.

Indeed God is infinite. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-capable. There is no limit to what He can do.
Though the enemy and his agents may try to hinder God’s working in the lives of believers, the truth remains that God can never be limited. He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above what anyone could think or imagine.

No man can stop or limit God when He arises to work in your life. God can break through any barrier and certainly turn a “no way” into a highway!

When the children of Israel moved to the Promised land, the wall of Jericho stood as a barrier on their journey. However, they were able to bring down this mighty wall through listening and obeying the voice of God.
Anytime you encounter a wall, a barrier or hindrance to your progress, you need to take time to hear God’s divine instruction to you.

Barriers are inevitable in life’s journey. Anyone headed to the Promised land will certainly encounter some walls of Jericho. It’s all a part of destiny.
However, to overcome these hindrances, we need divine guidance.
We need to make deliberate efforts to hear God through taking time to diligently study the Word, pray and fellowship with the Spirit.

Revelations from God will lead to revolutions in your life. His Word is the rod with which you can do signs and wonders.
Anytime we hear and obey God’s Word, His power arises to crush the oppositions on our path.

By the Blood of Jesus, we are guaranteed victory over life’s hindrances and barriers. Redemption has positioned us to be unstoppable no matter the schemes of the enemy.

Certainly, by the power in the Blood you cannot be stopped by the barriers of sickness, poverty, barrenness, delays etc.
Indeed, through the Blood, we can break through every barrier and triumph over every trial.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for granting me Your guidance and wisdom to overcome every barrier I may face. I thank You for moving supernaturally in my life in this season and doing exceedingly above all I could ever ask or imagine, in Jesus’ Name.

QUOTE: When God is on your side, anything is possible. – WORDBITE 201

Revelation 12:11 ‘And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death’

DAILY READING – John 5:1-18; 1 Chronicles 18-19; Zechariah7

Stuart Hamblin was a famous radio personality, songwriter, cowboy singer and motion picture actor.
Though raised in the ways of the Lord as the son of a Methodist minister from Texas, he didn’t handle his fame very well. He engaged in drinking, brawling and other destructive behaviors that landed him in jail many times.
However, this all changed through a divine encounter with God. Though, Hamblen missed his way, yet in all his rascality God did not forget nor abandon him. God gave him a new beginning and brought restoration.
In 1949, when Billy Graham was in Los Angeles for evangelist meetings, Hamblen’s wife persuaded him to attend one of the services. God met him at that meeting and something changed in his life. Early the following morning he requested an appointment with Graham – which was granted – and during their conversation Hamblen surrendered his life totally to Christ.
When Hamblen’s conversion became public news, a lot of people were surprised at his transformation. He no longer drank, and even refused to advertise alcohol on his show. Later on Hamblen ran into a friend of his, the famous actor, John Wayne, who asked him about the rumor around town that he had changed his ways. In replying, Hamblen told Wayne that it was no secret what God had done for him and that God could do it for Wayne too. On hearing that, John Wayne said it sounded like a song and suggested Hamblen write a song out of it. The result was one of Hamblen’s best known songs, ‘It is No Secret What God Can Do.’ It was a crossover song that is regarded as the first to become Number 1 in the gospel, country, and pop categories. Hamblen’s song has been heard in every small city, town and hamlet in America and in countless places around the world – in more than 50 languages.
Later in life, Hamblen devoted his time to serving Christ and started a new Christian radio program titled, ‘The Cowboy Church of the Air’, which was very successful and became nationally syndicated. Indeed, it is no secret what, God can do!

It is true sometimes we may miss the mark, but thank God for the Blood of Jesus that is able to cleanse us from all sin and bring restoration to us. No matter how far we may stray, the Blood of Jesus is always available to bring restoration to us. All we need to do is to retrace our steps and come back to the place where we missed the road and take the right turn. It’s never too late to do the right thing.

God’s gifts are without repentance. No mistake you’ve made is too much for the mercy of God. Nothing you’ve done has canceled your destiny. You can still become who God created you to be. That’s what grace is all about. That’s why it’s called ‘amazing grace.’ Christ paid the price 2,000 years ago and through His blood, cleansing and restoration has been provided for us, even when we miss the way.

Hebrews 9:13-14 says, ‘For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the Blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?’

Through the power in the Blood, the sin barrier between God and man is totally broken. Cleansed and restored, we can then come boldly into the presence of God. And because of the price Christ paid at Calvary, we can celebrate the freshness of God’s grace, and the living energy of His love.

Through the Blood of Jesus we can all experience a supernatural change of story. Indeed the resurrection power at work in you can deliver you from every negative situation. The same power that raised Christ from the dead can raise you from any dead situation in life. It is the same power that caused Christ to triumph over every force of darkness, disease and destruction.
And by the same power at work in you, there is no pit you cannot come out from.
Indeed through the Blood of Jesus God’s power is available to do exceedingly above all we could ever ask or imagine.
All we need is to constantly walk in a conscious understanding of our covenant rights and privileges.
Let us therefore deeply feed on the Word daily, knowing that when we truly believe, nothing can be impossible to us.
Certainly, through the power in the Blood of Jesus, it is our season to experience a divine turnaround that will establish us as living wonders.

PRAYER:
Lord, I thank You for Your grace that has been lavishly and abundantly made available to me. I thank You for the price of Your Blood that has made been paid to give me eternal victory in Jesus’ Name.

QUOTE
Your heart needs to be filled with the Word of God to the point of overflow. – WORDBITE 222.

Psalm 139:14 ‘I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well’

DAILY READING John 4:43-54; 1 Chronicles 17; Zechariah6

The human brain makes the most advanced computer today look like a toy.
Indeed, computers have been built and programmed to defeat human beings in complex games, such as chess in the 1990s, as well as encyclopedic knowledge contests, such as the TV show Jeopardy!
However, in all of these contests with computers, humans still triumph.
The things we do effortlessly on a daily basis are extremely complicated tasks and processes for computers.
The human brain lords over computers in numerous real-world tasks—ranging from identifying a person on a crowded city street to reaching for a cup of tea and moving it smoothly to one’s lips—let alone conceptualization and creativity.
Only recently have computers been able to complete some of the tasks that human beings easily do routinely.
Indeed apart from the brain, the entire human body is one of the most complex, ingenious creations in the universe.
The human body is incredibly engineered, and uniquely created by God as a showpiece of exquisite design.
Man is God’s masterpiece—His workmanship, the crown of creation. We are clearly made in the image of God Himself and stand apart from the rest of creation.

Psalm 139:14 says ‘I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well’

Indeed we are fearfully and wonderfully made. When we look at the wonder of the human body, we begin to catch a glimpse of the amazing ingenuity of God. And just as He has created our body a wonder, it is also God’s will to turn our lives into living wonders on earth.

In God’s plan we are created to be great and leave our mark on our generation.
You are destined to be the salt of the earth and light of the world, a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden.
Obscurity and nonentity is not part of God’s plan for you. You are created to be above only and never beneath.
Indeed you are born to be a winner, to always be the head and never the tail.
However, our lives only become a wonder and amazement when we closely follow God’s plan.
No one can truly maximize their full potentials without adhering to divine purpose.
The truth is that life is too complex for anyone to fully comprehend.
Sometimes, looking at our life’s drama, many scenes do not seem to make sense. How do you understand why you were born into your particular family, into your peculiar situation and into your unique background?
On our own we can never unravel these complexities. But when we let God the Creator, who has our blueprint, plan and purpose take control, He is able to make sense out of every non-sense and turn our lives into His intended wonder.
He has created us for His glory and knows how to turn around everything to work together for our good.
This is why we must align to His will and obey His Word.
Indeed to emerge as the wonder God has purposed for our lives we need to walk in obedience to God’s Word. It is only in His light that we can see light. Certainly without Jesus we can do nothing but through Him we can do all things.

No matter what situation you may face today, realize that God has created you for His glory. He has deliberately made you fearfully and wonderfully for His purpose.
All you need is to follow the plan of the Creator and you will naturally emerge as a wonder. If things don’t seem to be working in your life and there is nothing wonderful around you, then you need to check your connection with God.
It is the impact of God on our lives that causes us to impact the world around us.
Certainly, in this season as we draw close to God through a fresh commitment to diligent study of the Word, prayers, and fellowship with the Spirit, we will indeed emerge as living wonders. .

PRAYER: Lord Please enable me to diligently follow Your Will for me in every situation. You have indeed been faithful and amazing in my life. I know that even right now, You are at work to turn me into a wonder to all in Jesus Name. .

QUOTE
Praise is proof that you believe God to do what He said, He would do in your life, – WORDBITE 201.

Numbers 23:19 ‘God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’

DAILY READING; John 4:27-42; 1 Chronicles 16:7-43; Zechariah5

Before 1954, Tommy Hicks was an obscure American evangelist. However, the mighty manifestation of God’s power at the Argentinian Revival of 1954, suddenly thrust him into global limelight.
Before this revival, Tommy Hicks had been fasting for many days praying and agonizing for revival.
One day, he received a revelation that God wanted him to go to Argentina and preach.
Though Tommy hardly knew anything about the country, he got on a flight to Argentina. While on the flight the name ‘Peron’ dropped into his mind. When he asked a stewardess about the name, she told him it was the name of the President of Argentina.

When Tommy Hicks arrived, he wanted to rent a 25,000 seater stadium for a crusade and involve major media advertisement. But the local churches told him that the Argentina President who was a dictator disallowed such large evangelical crusades.
With unwavering faith, Tommy Hicks decided to go and see the Argentinian President at his office. He was refused access to the president but allowed to see the Minister of Religion. During his audience with the Minister, Tommy Hicks prayed for his secretary who was limping and he was instantly healed. This miracle made the Minister to take him to the President. At that time President Juan Peron was suffering from a disfiguring skin disease called psoriasis – a type of incurable eczema, which was so noticeable that the President no longer took photographs.
When Tommy Hicks prayed for the president, the power of God immediately flowed into Peron’s body and his skin became as clear as a baby’s!
The President was so amazed by this miracle that he gave Tommy Hicks everything he requested for the crusade.
God’s power erupted in the crusade with signs and wonders and in two months 3 million people were reported to have attended with 300,000 decisions made for Christ.
Among the converts were high ranking Argentinian government officials. President Peron was so impressed that he signed a decree that granted religious freedom to the evangelicals in Argentina and from that day onward, barred doors to the Gospel were immediately thrown open.

Indeed through mighty manifestations of His power, God turns us into a wonder to the world.
We are in the last days, which are the days of God’s power. It is an era where the power of resurrection shall be in manifestation more than ever before.
Jesus shed His Blood to raise a body of believers who will become a wonder through the mighty display of God’s power.

However to see this manifestations, we must take spiritual responsibility to diligently seek God’s face. Certainly, an encounter with God will establish us in power and give us a supernatural change of story.

Also to see the manifestation of God’s power, we must determine to walk in faith, despite the odds we may face.
When God gives you a definite Word, no matter how impossible outward situations may appear, always persist in faith and refuse to be discouraged.
God says what He means and He means what He says.
Even, if God’s promises appear to be just the opposite of what you see, you must continue to walk by faith and not by sight.
Talk faith in the face of fear, talk strength in the face of weakness, declare health in the face of sickness, speak life in the face of death, talk victory in the face of defeat.

As you resist discouragement and persist in faith, surely, God’s power will show up for you. There will be an eruption of miracles, signs and wonders around you.

There’s a calling upon your life, an assignment that God has ordained for you to accomplish in this generation.
Therefore, never allow any resistance on your way to abort your purpose. Don’t let difficulties cut short the journey to your divine destination.
Turbulence is often an indication that you are close to your miracle. Those times when it seems things will never work, may just be the very place and time that the tide will turn in your favor. Rather than focus on the problem, learn to focus on the promise. Keep ‘looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.’
Certainly, through the power in the Blood of Jesus our victory is always guaranteed.

Always remember that the enemy fights what he fears. The reason why he has been fiercely resisting your progress is to distract you from your divine purpose. But refuse to give up or give in. Continue to diligently seek God’s face through studying the Word, fasting, prayer and praise.
Soon, every stumbling block will be turned to your stepping stone. Those situations trying to push you down will become footstools that will lift you to greater heights and you will indeed emerge as a wonder to your world.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to pay the required spiritual price to see the manifestation of Your power in my life. Today, I receive the grace to continually walk in faith and never to grow weary. Thank You Lord, for doing in my life exceedingly abundantly above all I could ever ask or imagine, in Jesus’ Name.

QUOTE: When God is on your side, anything is possible. – WORDBITE 201

Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

DAILY READING; John 4:1-26; 1 Chronicles 15:1-16:6; Zechariah4

In Japan, just as couples come together in a wedding ceremony, they also hold a divorce ceremony to dissolve their marriages.
The key differences in the two ceremonies is that a divorce dress for a woman differs from a wedding dress; instead of wearing a white dress, she now wears a yellow dress.
And the divorce ring ceremony isn’t an exchanging of rings but a destroying of rings. Instead of holding a knife to cut the cake together as they did in their wedding, the couple hold a hammer together and smash their wedding rings.
Smashing their wedding rings is a way of saying they are literally crushing their chances of reconciliation.
After the divorce ceremony, they go to the court to get the legal dissolution of their marriage and then go their different ways.

In 2011 there was a sudden increase in the number of divorce ceremonies in Japan.
This was traced to the devastating tsunami and earthquake that struck Japan in March 2011.
What happened was that in the wake of the tragedy, people faced a lot of difficulties as businesses were destroyed and many lost their jobs.
This tough condition created tension in many homes and marriages.
Eventually, this resulted in the rate of divorce ceremonies in Japan suddenly tripling in the months after the tsunami.

It is indeed remarkable that a time of difficulty was when many of these couples chose to go their different ways.
Relationships are often likened to a ship. Some people get on and off board very easily. Some will stay on board as long as everything is sailing smoothly; but if the weather becomes rough, they will abandon the ship.
However, a true friend is the one who will stick with you through the stormy weathers.
Certainly, adversity is the test of true friendship.

Proverbs 17:17 says “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Every brother may not be a friend, but the friend who sticks with you though adversity becomes like a brother.
Then, there is a friend who sticks even closer than a brother.
This is the one who can sacrifice everything, even his own life for the sake of his friend.
That is the kind of friend Jesus is to us.

In John 15:15-17, Jesus said ‘Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.’

Jesus proved His love and friendship by laying down His life to save us. He shed His Blood to deliver us. And He Has promised to never leave us nor forsake us.
Friendship with Jesus is the only unsinkable ship in life.
As we sail through the unstable waters of human relationships, it is good to know that there is One who will always be there for us.

He is our Jehovah Shammah, the Lord who is there.
He is our help from ages past.
In the toughest of battles, in the darkest of nights, He is always there. He is our ever present help in times of trouble.
He is our rock, our high tower, our shield and our buckler.

He is our provider, our healer, our defender, and refuge.
No matter how tough any situation you may face today, be rest assured that Jesus is ever able to see you through.
As you stay close to Him through diligent study of the Word and prayers, He will certainly turn every test into your testimony.

Indeed, Jesus is a faithful friend to the very end.
This is why we should invest in building a solid relationship with Him above everything else. Certainly, His Presence makes all the difference and through Him we can do all things..

PRAYER:
Lord, I am grateful that You are ever with me no matter what situations I may face in life. Thank You for always fighting my battles and being my ever present help in times of need in Jesus’ Name.

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

Romans 5:10-11   ‘For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. ‘

DAILY READING: John 3:22-36; 1 Chronicles 13-14; Zechariah3

Don and Carol Richardson were Canadian missionaries under the sponsorship of Regions Beyond Missionary Union.

In 1962, they embarked on a missionary career in New Guinea where they served for 15 years among the Sawi people, a stone-age tribe of cannibal headhunters.

The Sawi people celebrated treachery as an ideal. They often befriended people of other villages with the intent of later betraying, killing and even eating them. The first time Don Richardson shared the story of Judas Iscariot betraying Jesus, the Sawi admiringly proclaimed Judas the hero of the story!

Among this savage tribe, the Richardsons ministered to a pair of neighboring villages that were constantly warring against each other, encouraging them to reconcile.

When they finally came to reconciliation, they did so through a tradition steeped deeply in their history, which involved each tribe offering a child to the other tribe. This child was called the peace child.

The Richardsons who had not been able to get the people to fully understand the Gospel then used the story of the peace child to describe how God gave Jesus as the peace child to reconcile the world to Himself.

That peace child analogy, in fact, served as the basis of the breakthrough in the Sawi people’s understanding of the Gospel. With this new approach to the salvation story, the tribe finally came to saving faith in Christ.

Indeed Christ Jesus was the ultimate Peace Child.

His mission here on earth was one of reconciliation. He came to reconcile us to God through His death and resurrection.

He came to reconcile us to one another as members of His Body, the church.

Jesus laid down His life to break down the middle wall of partition erected in our relationship with God through our disobedience.

Christ bore on the cross the full judgment that we deserved for our rebellion against God.

Romans 5:10-11 says   ‘For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. ‘

Through the Blood of Jesus, we have been reconciled and restored back to fellowship with God. Though our sins separated us from God, yet, through Christ we have been brought back into an intimate relationship with God.

Now through the peace Christ has made by His Blood on the cross, we are again counted as God’s friends. We are now the Lord’s redeemed.

We have received forgiveness and the countless other blessings that come through being in restored relationship with God.

Not only are we purchased at the cost of Christ’s life, we are also adopted by His Blood into God’s family.

Christ has cancelled the handwriting of every ordinance against us, He took it away, nailed it to the cross and He wrote in His blood, “paid in full” across our outstanding bill of indebtedness to God.

There is therefore now no condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus. Surely, as the son of God has set us free, we are truly free indeed.

PRAYER;  Father, thank You for Jesus and His gift of reconciliation to us. Please help me to pay the spiritual price to keep growing in intimacy with You. Certainly, in this season of wonders, I  shall experience Your power, grace and glory in every area of my life in Jesus’ Name.

Quote

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