HORM Devotional

Galatians 6:9 ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.’

DAILY READING Mark 9:2-50; 2 Samuel 22; Hosea 2:2-23

In 1905, revival was born in the heart of a college student in Wales, named Evan Roberts. After reading and hearing about some of the great revivals that had occurred in history, his heart was stirred with hunger for revival.
One night at the age of 25, he was awakened in the presence of God and found himself crying out to God. That night began a journey of relentlessly pursuing God. He could sit up all night to study or pray for hours at a stretch.
This continued for many months. During this time, God began to reveal Himself to Evan Roberts, preparing him to carry the fire of Revival to his generation.
Eventually, Evan Roberts felt led to return from school back to his hometown to preach. However when he returned back home, the reception from his townspeople was not very warm. Yet he persisted in faith and prayers.
When the adults appeared unwilling, Evans began to hold revival meetings for young people. Though the first meeting was somehow disappointing with only about 16 youths in attendance, Evans still didn’t give up. He persisted in prayers.
Finally, in another meeting, the fire fell and the power of God swept through the hall. Suddenly a new zeal and fire began to burn among the youths and many of them became converted.
The Holy Spirit began to move mightily among the people. Soon the Church overflowed with crowds and meetings sometimes lasted till after 3am. As the revival fire spread through England, whole communities were radically changed. The crime rate drastically dropped and the Society itself was transformed.

Indeed when we persist in prayers, we will see mighty manifestations of God’s power.
Anyone who wants to see miracles, signs and wonders, must be prepared to pray. There is no other way. Prayer is what releases the supernatural power of God.
A prayerful Christian will certainly be a powerful Christian.
Prayer is the weapon that God has given to His children to wage wars and win victories. Prayer is the key that unlocks the gates of Heaven and closes the gates of Hell.
Whatever we desire in this life is available from God, but we must persist in prayer until we receive the answers we seek. If we refuse to become weary and continue to knock, the door will certainly be opened to us.
The truth is that many great men of God encountered discouragements before their breakthroughs in life. But because they refused to give up and persisted in prayers, they finally encountered the manifestation of God’s power.
Likewise, to see signs and wonders in our lives we must persist in prayer and never grow weary.
Galatians 6:9 says ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.’

Indeed persistence wears down resistance. The greatest challenges often come at the verge of your breakthroughs, this is why you must never give up.
Oftentimes, the enemy fights the hardest, when you are about to rise to a new level of destiny.
We must therefore cling to God’s Word and press on to victory.
With the prophetic proclamation of seeing signs and wonders this year, we must determine that nothing will hinder its manifestation in our lives.
As we persist in prayers and stay focused in seeking God, certainly, in due season, we will reap the harvest of miracles and supernatural manifestations in every area of our lives.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me not to become weary in seeking Your Power in my life. Please grant me the grace to always persist in prayers, praise and diligent study of Your Word. Thank You Lord for giving me amazing answers to prayers in this season in Jesus Name. .
QUOTE;
It is only when you can see God in the light of who He truly is that you can begin to walk in the overflow of His blessings. – WORDBITE 222

Jeremiah 32:27 – ‘Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?

DAILY READING; Mark 8:22-9:1; 2 Samuel 20-21; Hosea 1:1-2:1

An article published in ‘Redemption Tidings’, in December 1934 gave an account of one of the amazing miracles that took place during Smith Wigglesworth’s meeting in Washington, D.C.
The article stated that before the meeting began, a young girl, with crutches, had come in assisted by a man and woman. Her legs absolutely dangled, with the feet hanging vertically from them. From her waist she seemed to be limp and powerless. Room was made for her in the front row. When the invitation to be saved was given, she attempted to go forward aided by those assisting her.
However, Smith Wigglesworth, on seeing her from the platform, said, “You stay right where you are. You are going to be a different girl when you leave this place.”
When he had finished praying for others, Wigglesworth then turned to the girl. After he had been informed of her condition, he said to the people, “This girl has no muscles in her legs; she has never walked before.”
Wigglesworth proceeded to lay his hands on her head and prayed. He then cried, “In the name of Jesus Christ, walk!”
But the girl hardly moved. Looking at her, Wigglesworth said, “You are afraid, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” she replied.
“There is no need to be. You are healed!” he shouted. “Walk! walk!”
And then she began walking! Her crutches were dropped and she began walking, despite the fact that she had never walked before.

Indeed we serve the God of miracles! There is nothing impossible to God.
God says in Jeremiah 32:27 – ‘Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?’
Certainly no situation is too hard for our God.
We may marvel at how a person like Smith Wigglesworth was used by God to do such amazing signs and wonders, but the secret of his ministry was in his strong faith which was developed through diligent hearing of God’s Word.

Just like such great men of God, when we rightly position ourselves spiritually, God’s power will flow through us. Indeed we can develop ourselves in the Word so much that we become conveyors of God’s power.
The Word of God is the primary instrument for doing signs and wonders. Remember that signs follow them that believe [Mark 16].
Faith comes through continuous hearing of God’s Word. When your heart is filled with faith, as you speak boldly against any negative situation, God’s power will be released for miracles.
The Word of God is fire that consumes all satanic stubbles:
God said in Jeremiah 23:29 ‘Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?’

The Word of God is the light that shatters all the powers of darkness: It is the light that shines in darkness and darkness cannot comprehend it.
No negative condition can withstand the Word of God. Indeed when we speak God’s Word boldly, He confirms it openly with His Power.
Therefore no matter what may face you today, you are never helpless. As a child of God, you can deal with that situation through the release of God’s power. Study the Scriptures in the area of your challenge until faith arises in your heart. As you release the Word of faith into that situation, you will certainly see an eruption of miracles, signs and wonders!

PRAYER: Lord, I know indeed that You are able to handle any challenge I may face today. I therefore ask You for the grace to diligently study Your Word so that I can have the faith to see great manifestations of Your power in my life 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 24:12 ‘And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’

DAILY READING – Mark 8:1-21; 2 Samuel 19; Daniel 12

A fire has been kept burning in the United States for the past 200 years. A particular family has been responsible for maintaining this fire.
This fire was started by a man called Tom Dalton with the use of flint and steel. After igniting this fire in his cabin on Blue Ridge Mountain, he kept it burning afterwards and never allowed it to go out.
After the death of Tom Dalton, his family continued to keep the fire burning.
From one generation to another, the fire has passed from one home to another and has never gone out.
The fire has continually been maintained and watched over carefully through the years by generation after generation of Dalton’s descendants.
Even during the summer months it is kept burning with a cord of wood per month; it has been no easy task for the family, but always the fire has burned on.
Today it is one of the oldest fires in the world.

Leviticus 6:12-13 says “The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out”

God commanded the Levites to keep the fire in the temple constantly burning and never allow it to go out.

One reason why it was important to keep this fire in the temple burning was because it was started directly by God:
Therefore, the fire in the temple served as a constant reminder of God’s power.
This fire also represented God’s presence because “God is a consuming fire”.
The Shekinah glory was visible in the fire at the altar of burnt offering. This ongoing presence of God reminded the Israelites that He was in their midst.

In the New Testament, fire represents the Holy Spirit’s coming at Pentecost in the form of “tongues of fire” (Acts 2:3).

As born again believers, having received this fire of the Spirit, we must daily keep it burning in our lives.
Indeed we need to constantly guard our spiritual fire and ensure it never goes out.

The world lies in evil and wickedness, and the only answer to the spiritual coldness in the world is the fire of the Spirit in our lives .

Through the manifestation of this fire, we will show forth God’s power to the world. We will heal the sick, raise the dead and do exploits for God’s Kingdom.
Indeed our light must so shine before men that they will see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.
However, to effectively live such a life of signs and wonders, the fire of the Spirit must be kept burning in our lives.

Romans 12:11 tells us to be “fervent in spirit.”
The Greek word for “fervent,” is zeo, which means “to boil with heat.”

Such a life of spiritual fervency is what will keep us unaffected by the spiritual coldness rapidly spreading through out the world.

Matthew 24:12-14 says ‘And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold..’

Indeed we must jealousy guard our fire so that our love and passion for God never grows cold.

Through a life of fervent prayers, intimate worship, and diligent study of the Word, we will certainly remain spiritually hot and on fire for God.
We must do everything in these end times to keep our spiritual fire burning. The security of our destiny lies in keeping our love for God constantly hot.
As we dwell in the secret place of the most high and abide under the shadow of The Almighty, then the Lord will be our refuge and our strength and certainly His Presence will make all the difference in our lives.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to constantly mainten my fire and zeal for Your kingdom.
By Your grace, I shall continually abide in Your love where I am safe and eternally secure in Jesus Name.

QUOTE;
It is only when you can see God in the light of who He truly is that you can begin to walk in the overflow of His blessings. – WORDBITE 222.

Deuteronomy 28:7 “The Lord shall cause thine enemies who rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face; they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.’

DAILY READING Mark 7:14-37; Samuel 18; Daniel 11:21-45

The Jewish celebration of Purim starts in the evening of today, 25th February 2021. Purim, also Known as “The Feast of Esther” is the Jewish celebration of divine deliverance.
As recorded in the book of Esther, God had turned the table against the enemy of the Jews and given His people the victory.

Rabbi Yitzchak Zilber, is a Jewish hero and author of the book, “To Remain a Jew”.
In this book he recounts the climatic events of 1953, when God stopped another plot to annihilate the Jews.
Rabbi Yitzchak Zilber had been among those imprisoned when Joseph Stalin, leader of communist Russia had targeted thousands of Jewish scientists, politicians, and intellectuals for destruction. At this time, Joseph Stalin was known as the mass murderer of the century, having murdered about 20 million of his own Russian people.
In February of 1953, Stalin had commissioned the construction of four camps in Kazakhstan, Siberia and in the Arctic North, where he planned to exterminate all the Jews in Russia.
While Rabbi Zilber was in prison, as the feast of Purim drew near, on 5th March 1953, he tried to encourage a group of Jewish prisoners from the Book of Esther, recounting the miracle of Purim. However, one prisoner had bitterly responded, “Who needs your tales about what happened 2,500 years ago? Tell me, where is your God today?’
Rabbi Zilber had confidently replied him that God was able to deal with Stalin just like He did to Haman, because Joseph Stalin was only a mere mortal that could expire within half an hour.
Rabbi Zilber’s words indeed proved to be prophetic because within thirty minutes of his utterance, Joseph Stalin was dead.
What happened was that two days earlier, Stalin had suddenly suffered a massive heart attack that led to his death on the 5th of March. He had died just a day before his planned execution of the Jewish people.
To the 3 million Jews in the Soviet Union at that time, Stalin’s death was indeed a great miracle of Purim, because he had died during this season of the Jew’s celebration of divine deliverance. .

The lesson of Purim is that God is always able to deliver His people.
Just as Haman died before he could execute his evil plan, Stalin also died just before he could begin the extermination of the Jews.
Certainly, God is able to fight our battles and deal with every Haman of our destiny.
Haman’s plan to exterminate the Jews was not accidental. He was a descendent of Agag, the king of the Amalekites. The Amalekites, hated the Israelites and treacherously attacked the unarmed Israelites when they passed through the Sinai desert during the exodus. At that time, the Lord had pronounced a curse to blot out the remembrance of the Amalekites.
When Haman rose, just like his forefathers, to attack the Jews, the curse of the Lord had located him.

Indeed God has put a ‘touch not’ seal upon His children and any attempt to harm them provokes His divine wrath.
Today, though we may be living in perilous times where the wicked often plot the downfall of believers, let us also be assured of God’s continual divine deliverance. In these end-times, God desires that through His manifold wisdom, the Church would disarm all principalities and powers, and rule over them.
Therefore, be assured that every Haman or Amalekite plotting your downfall, will certainly come under swift judgment.
Every gang-up against your destiny will experience total failure. Though they may come one way, they will scatter from you in seven ways. Any pit they dig for your feet, they will fall into that same pit, while your soul escapes as a bird out of the snare of the fowler.
Certainly as you key into this season of Purim through a closer walk with God, your dominion will be established. Your deliverance from every evil plot will be certain. Whosoever shall gather against you must fall for your sake, and every tongue that shall rise against you in Judgment, you shall surely condemn in Jesus Name.

PRAYER: Lord, please in this season of Purim, let your deliverance be made fully manifest in my life. Indeed May Your divine judgment come upon everything contesting my glorious destiny in Jesus Name.

Quote
When you obey God’s instruction you are delivered from destruction [WORDBITE 222].

Psalm 107:20 ‘He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.’

DAILY READING; • Mark 7:1-13; 2 Samuel 17; Daniel 11:1-19

The Africans who were brought to America as slaves had mostly come from a background of African religious traditions.
When they were first introduced to Christianity, many of them rejected it because it was the religion of their oppressors.
For a long time these black slaves wanted nothing to do with the religion of the slave masters who had harshly maltreated them.
This was not helped by the fact that the slave masters had used the teachings of the Bible to justify the brutal trans-Atlantic slave trade. Some of them had twisted the Scriptures to claim that Africans were the descendants of Ham, cursed in the book of Genesis, and thus their enslavement was fitting. They also used Bible passages that commanded servants to obey their masters as further justification for slavery.
Also the fact that Jesus was a ‘white man’, made the black slaves to believe that He was on the side of the white oppressors.

As long as the slaves remained ignorant of the truth, they rejected Christianity. However, as they eventually began to learn to read and write, the Bible was often the only book available to them. As they learned to read the Bible, they began to find out the truth and realized that they had believed lies.
From the Scriptures they saw that God was indeed a deliverer who had brought His people out of slavery. They also saw in Jesus, a suffering Savior whose life and struggles paralleled their own struggles.
This new knowledge brought a revolution to the black community. As they fully embraced Christianity and pursued faith in Christ, they found the grace and strength to fight for their freedom and eventually break free from the yokes of slavery.

Indeed Jesus came to set the captives free. But anyone who lacks this knowledge would continue to suffer unnecessarily in captivity and oppression.
Knowledge is your ticket to freedom. When you know the truth, you will rebel against the attempts of the enemy to keep you in oppression.

As a blood-bought covenant child of the living God, no force in hell is permitted to afflict you or oppress you. However, Knowledge is the key that unlocks the resurrection power within you.
This is why it is important that you study the Scriptures and know the truth for yourself.
Many people are dying unnecessarily because they lack a personal revelation of the truth of God’s Word.

Psalm 107:20 says God has sent His Word to heal and deliver us from every destruction, but then Hosea 4:6 also says that God’s people perish because of lack of knowledge.

An understanding of the power in the Blood will elevate you above every bondage and oppression. Jesus did not die in vain, He died to set you free.
Therefore, do not believe the lies of the enemy. There is no bondage or affliction that the Blood of Jesus cannot deliver you from. There is no sin or sickness His Blood cannot save you from.
Christ has paid the full price at Calvary, therefore affliction is not permitted to arise a second time in your life.
Through the power of knowledge, you can successfully wage war against the principalities, powers and spiritual wickedness fighting your destiny (Ephesians 6:12).
Indeed when we are armed for the battle with the Word of God, all the hosts of hell must flee before us. Sickness and disease must flee, poverty and disfavor will flee.
You are not born again to suffer again. You have been born again to live a glorious new life in Christ Jesus.
Surely, as the son of God has made you free, you are truly free indeed.

PRAYER:
Lord, I thank You for Your Blood that has given me total victory over death, hell and the grave. I thank You for the grace to passionately seek the knowledge of Your Word so that I will be totally free indeed from every affliction and bondage in Jesus Name.
QUOTE:
You will never need more than God to experience the impossible in life. – WORDBITE 222.

Lamentations 3:22 ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.’

DAILY READING; Mark 6:30-56; 2 Samuel 16; Daniel 10:1-21

By the time George Müller died on March 10, 1898 at the age of 92, he was known as one of the greatest men of God who ever lived.
However, the past life of this great evangelist resembled nothing of his saintly life.
As a young man, he was a thief, a liar and a gambler. He wandered very deep into sin and was only saved by the grace of God.
Born in 1805 in Prussia, his childhood and early teens were devoid of Christian training and influence. His father often gave to him and his brother considerable money for their age, which allowed them to indulge in sinful habits. By the age of 10, Müller was stealing government money from his father.
As a young man, he was busy pursuing his own pleasures. At a time when his mother lay dying, he was out partying and getting drunk with his friends. By sixteen years he was already a drunkard, and sometimes ended up in jail.
Even after entering the University of Halle as a theological student, he continued in his wicked ways. Yet, God worked in the young George’s soul and eventually brought him to Himself.
One day while in the university, at 20 years of age, he was led by a friend one evening, to a prayer meeting. George was deeply impressed by what he saw at the meeting and soon gave his life to Christ.
He immediately stopped drinking, stealing and lying, and developed hope of becoming a missionary. He began preaching regularly in nearby churches and would become an international evangelist that brought many souls to Christ.
George Müller was also used by God to build orphanages in Bristol, England that cared for tens of thousands of orphans.

Lamentations 3:22 says ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.’

Like George Muller, we are all products of God’s grace and His amazing love.
It is the Mercy of God that prevented us from being consumed by the adventures of our past.
Indeed if it had not been for the Lord’s mercies where would we be?
Some of us would have been dead and buried long ago, if the mercy of God had not prevailed to deliver us from the path of destruction.
Sometimes it is amazing to look back at the things we survived; the tough childhood, the rejections, the wrong friendships, the accidents, the sickness,the troubles, the addictions etc.
The fact that you’re still here today is a sign that the Lord has been on your side. You didn’t get here on your own, it was the love and mercy of God that preserved you all along and stopped the enemy from truncating your destiny. Even when you didn’t know better, God was there fighting your battles.
And this is why we keep thanking God and keep blessing Him. Indeed God has been good and faithful to us.
Despite the challenges of life we have every cause to be grateful. Though you may not be where you ought to be, but thank God you are not where you used to be.
Certainly, He that has begun this good work in you, will surely bring it to completion. His grace and mercy that has brought you thus far will certainly see you through. His plans and promises in your life will indeed come into full manifestation. Your destiny will not be stopped by any scheme of man or force of hell. Though you may have passed through the water and the fire, the Lord will surely bring you into a wealthy place.
We need to build our lives on this foundation of God’s unconditional love, approval, and forgiveness.
God has reversed the verdict of rejection, reproach and condemnation that should have come upon us and restored us to a new life of dignity in Christ. For this we are eternally grateful. Let us therefore continually express our gratitude through a lifestyle of thanksgiving. God is indeed worthy of all our praise.
And as God has shown us mercy and love , so are we to show to others. As Jesus has loved us, so are we to love others. As we freely have received of His love, so are we to freely release to others.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for all Your goodness in my life. I praise You Lord, for Your love and mercy that continues to uphold me today. May Your unending love continue to surround me always in Jesus’ Name….
QUOTE;
Nothing liberates like truth, the truth you know and act upon will set you free. WORDBITE 222.

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

DAILY READING; Mark 6:1-29; 2 Samuel 15; Daniel 9

The story of Immaculée Ilibagiza’s miraculous survival in the 1994 Rwandan genocide continues to amaze the world.
In 2019, a play based on her story, titled ‘Miracle in Rwanda’ was performed at the United Nations as part of the 25th commemoration of the Rwandan genocide.
For 91 days, as the genocide raged, Immaculée Ilibagiza stayed hidden with seven other Tutsi women in a small bathroom that belonged to Pastor Murinzi, who was a Hutu.
However, from the first day of hiding, Immaculée remained concerned that the rampaging killers could discover their hiding place. When she prayed to God to help her and show her what to do, God impressed upon her heart to ask the pastor to move a wardrobe in his bedroom against the bathroom’s door.
When she told Pastor Murinzi the idea God gave her, he refused, saying such a simple ploy couldn’t fool the hardened Hutu militia if they came searching. But she was so sure that she heard God that she knelt down and desperately begged the pastor to shift the wardrobe. He eventually agreed and pushed the big wardrobe in front of the bathroom door, hiding the door from view.
Soon after that, many Hutu killers invaded the pastor’s house in search of Tutsis. They came right into the pastor’s bedroom, lifting and overturning furniture.
Then one of them yelled to the others to move the wardrobe!
As the wardrobe banged against the door, Immaculee prayed: ‘Lord, please, You put the wardrobe there! Don’t let them move it. Save us, Lord!’
Miraculously the Hutu killers, suddenly stopped in their efforts to move the wardrobe. Finally, after searching unsuccessfully, they left the house.
Hundreds of other Hutus also came at other times to search the pastor’s house for Tutsis. Though they searched everywhere including inside the ceilings, somehow, they never thought about moving the wardrobe in the pastor’s bedroom.
After 91 days of hiding, when the genocide came to an end, the women finally escaped to freedom.
Immaculée Ilibagiza, who is today a New York Times Bestselling author and motivational speaker believes her survival was primarily due to her obedience to divine instructions.

Obedience is the key to experiencing God’s wonders. Indeed His instruction averts destruction.
God’s instructions may seem unrealistic at the moment but obedience to it will always birth miracles.
When you walk in obedience to divine instructions, you will see great manifestations of God’s power.
Our guarantee for safety in the journey of life is obedience to divine guidance and walking in line with God’s Word.

Sometimes divine instructions may not agree with our human reasoning, but obeying them is the key to our deliverance.
When Prophet Elisha asked Naaman, commander of Syria’s army to bath seven times in the Jordan river, Naaman was offended. But when he obeyed, he was healed and restored.
When there was need for wine in the wedding at Cana of Galilee, Jesus instructed that the water pots be filled with water. Though the instruction didn’t seem to make sense, Mary told the servants, ‘whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.’ [John 2:5]. Their obedience to Jesus’ instruction birthed the miracle of wine they desired.
Every act of obedience commits God’s integrity to perform.
Our obedience is what will compel divine interventions and manifestations.

Job 36:11 says: “If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.”

It is our obedience that will determine the quality of our future.
Perhaps today, God has been saying something to you or given you an instruction from His Word. Whatever God tells you to do, obey promptly because that is the key to your breakthrough. Indeed Obedience results in eminence.
However, to be able to pick up divine signals we must be spiritually sensitive. A daily quiet time spent in studying the Word and praying, is one way of developing spiritual sensitivity to divine instructions.

As we trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding; as we acknowledge Him in all our ways, surely, He will direct our paths and turn us into living wonders among men.

PRAYER:
Lord, I receive the grace for delight-some Obedience to Your every instruction. Through Your divine guidance, Please help me to escape every path of destruction. As I obey Your Word in this season, I thank You for indeed turning me into a wonder in Jesus’ Name.
QUOTE:
There is more to you than meets the eyes. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. – WORDBITE 222.

1 Chronicles 4:10 ‘And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.’

DAILY READING • • Mark 5:21-43; 2 Samuel 14; Daniel 8

James Watt was a famous inventor and engineer whose work influenced the Industrial Revolution. He was renowned for his improvements in steam engine technology.
When he was growing up, his father ran a ship- and house-building business. Watt spent much time in his father’s workshops making models and learning about ships’ instruments.
One day, as Watt watched the steam coming from a boiling tea kettle, he began to wonder how steam could be harnessed, into usable energy and put to work.
Fascinated with mechanics, as he grew up, he began to work on improving the steam engine already in existence at that time, because it proved to be grossly inefficient. Through much study and experimentation, years later, he began to manufacture his own steam engines, which many people found to be very efficient. He later formed an engineering company that manufactured steam engines and in no time became very wealthy as a result. His ability to effectively harness steam became part of the machinery that made the industrial revolution in Britain a possibility. And today, a unit of measurement of electrical and mechanical power – the watt – is named in his honour.

Just as steam could be harnessed into a usable energy, pain can be turned into power.
Indeed we can learn to harness whatever appears like heat or steam in our lives into energy that works for us. When life hands you lemons, you can turn them into lemonades.
Do not blindly accept the pressures of life, learn to look for the turnaround trigger. There is something you can do that will suddenly turn everything around. And often the key is prayer.

In the genealogies of the Old Testament, there was a man called Jabez. Jabez in the Hebrew means “One who causes pain.” Pain seemed to be identified with Jabez even from birth.
His mother named him ‘Jabez’ saying, ‘Because I bore him with pain.’ However, Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, Lord, bless me indeed and expand my territory. Keep Your hand on me, and keep evil from me, that I may not cause pain!’ And God granted him what he requested.”
God blessed him and give him a change of story.

Uncomfortable situations should lead us to cry out to God for help. Like Jabez, pain can push us towards our greatest breakthroughs. You can live with the name and the reputation life tries to enforce on you, or you can decide to live the way God has preordained for you. Your present does not have to determine your future. No matter what things may seem like, God always has good plans and good thoughts towards you.

He says in Jeremiah 29:11 ‘I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future.’

No matter the occasional heat and steam the enemy tries to bring your way, determine that you will experience the glorious future God has ordained for you. Just as Jabez prayed and God turned around his situation and enlarged his territory, so can it be for you.
Ask the Holy Spirit for the wisdom to turn your stumbling blocks into stepping stones. There is always a way out. Do not settle for the obvious. We do not walk by sight, but by faith. Through the help of God, we can indeed be more than conquerors in every situation of life.

PRAYER:
Lord, as I call upon You today, I thank You for giving me a supernatural change of story. Thank You Lord for turning around every negative situation in my favor and turning every mourning into dancing for me in Jesus’ Name.
QUOTE:
Your heart needs to be filled with the Word of God to the point of overflow. – WORDBITE 222.

Proverbs 16:7 ‘When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.’

DAILY READING • Mark 5:1-20; 2 Samuel 13; Daniel 7

The 2002 film ‘The Pianist’ is about the life of a famous Polish pianist and classical composer named Władysław Szpilman.
The film is the true story of how he survived the German invasion of Warsaw through help from unexpected quarters.
As the war intensified and many Jews were killed, Szpilman, who was a Jew, also went into hiding.
When the Nazis drove the entire population out of Warsaw and took over the city, Władysław remained hidden in an empty building, where he struggled to survive. However, one day, towards the end of World War II, a German officer discovered his hiding place.
As the famous pianist faced the German officer, he thought he was about to be shot.

Szpilman had not bathed in months, and had been living off scraps for more than a year. As Szpilman prepared his mind to die, he was surprised to hear the officer ask him about his profession. When Szpilman said he was a pianist, the German then took him to a battered piano in a corner of the house and asked him to play. Though he had not touched a piano for three years and was near starvation, Szpilman played Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp minor.
The officer seemed impressed. He then gave Szpilman food and clothing. Though the German officer should have arrested or killed him, rather he let Szpilman hide in the attic of the house and continued to bring him food and warm clothing till the end of the war. Through the help of the German officer, Władysław was able to survive. After the war, Szpilman picked up his career as a pianist and continued to play in concerts around the world.

We all know that God can bless us and provide for us, but we don’t always realize, God can sometimes use our enemies to do so.
Indeed God can send help from strange quarters. He can use the sources you least expect to favor you. Just as God sent the ravens to feed Prophet Elijah, God can use unconventional ways and least expected means to meet our needs.
Sometimes we may worry about how we are going to get through certain situations, but we have to learn to trust in God’s divine grace and mercy.
God is not limited in how He will save; He can save by few or many. He can cause doors to open for you that you can’t even explain how or why. God can cause those who were supposed to be against you to suddenly turn around and be for you.
God is a father; who truly loves us and cares for us more than we can ever care for ourselves. As we obey His Word and do those things that pleases Him, He will prevail over enemies and contrary situations in our lives.

Proverbs 16:7 says when a man’s ways please the Lord; He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

When you focus on pleasing God, He can make your enemy be at peace with you by showing you mercy. Lamentations 3:22 says through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fails not.

Indeed when we fear God and please Him, there will be no limit to His goodness in our lives. He will give us even blessings we don’t deserve or qualify for.
In Deuteronomy 6:11, God said when we honor Him, He would give us houses that we did not build and we would reap from vineyards that we did not plant.

God does all of these because of His amazing love for us.
Let us therefore focus on pleasing God by walking in line with His Word and maintaining a spiritually fervent life. As we do, surely, His divine help will always locate us and we will never be stranded in life.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for Your amazing love towards me. I thank You for the good plans You have for my life. Indeed I know that even right now You are at work to perfect all that concerns me in Jesus Name. .
QUOTE:
You will never need more than God to experience the impossible in life. WORDBITE 222..

Deuteronomy 23:5, ‘The Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.’

DAILY READING: – Mark 4:21-41; 2 Samuel 11-12; Daniel 6

Michael Franzese is an American former New York mobster and captain of the Colombo crime family. Though he was the son of a Mafia boss, while growing up, his father never wanted him involved in crime and had enrolled him in a pre-med program at Hofstra University. But after his father was sentenced to 50 years in prison for bank robbery in 1967, Michael dropped out of school to make money for his family.
Michael eventually helped implement a scheme to defraud the American government out of gasoline taxes in the early 1980s.
By the age of 35, in 1986, Fortune Magazine had listed Michael Franzese as number 18 on its list of the “Fifty Most Wealthy and Powerful Mafia Bosses”.
Michael said that at the height of his career, he generated up to $8 million per week.
However in 1986, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison on conspiracy charges.
He spent three of those prison years in isolation. While there, he began to seek God and had time to really study the Bible. During that time, God taught him the Word and really changed his heart and he accepted Jesus as his Saviour.
When he was finally released in 1994, it was obvious that God’s amazing grace had singled him out from destruction. Out of Fortune Magazine’s list of “Fifty Most Wealthy and Powerful Mafia Bosses”, 47 of them were dead, 2 were serving life sentences in prison and only Michael Franzese was alive and free.
Today, he preaches the Gospel around the world, and tells of God’s amazing love.

Deuteronomy 23:5 says, ‘The Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.’

Indeed God’s love is truly amazing. Regardless of the wrong turns we may sometimes take in life, God’s love remains a constant. Apostle Paul said nothing can separate us from the love of God. When we make mistakes, God doesn’t change His mind.
Out of His loving kindness, God is able to turn what may look like mistakes into miracles.
There is no situation God cannot turn around. There is no night so dark His light cannot penetrate.
Even in situations that look hopeless, God knows how to intervene and organize a divine rescue.
God knows how to fix our lives. He is the potter that knows how to put us back together when we are broken. Even the times it seems you may not know what to do, God knows exactly what to do.
No matter what happens, God has our lives under His perfect control. He always has a plan and a purpose. And as long as we remain sincere in following Him, He will indeed cause everything to eventually work out together for our good.

Romans 8:28 speaks of God’s ability to turn situations around. It says, ‘And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.’

“All things” includes your failures and your mistakes. We have all made mistakes at one time or the other; no one is immune. However, when we seek God’s help and align to His will, He will turn things around for our good. He will turn curses into blessings, He will turn your mess into a message, and He will cause your scars to become your stars.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for Your amazing love that never gives up on me. I know even right now You are causing everything to work out together for my good. I am truly grateful Lord, for Your loving kindness and unending Mercies in my life in Jesus’ Name.
QUOTE
God is preparing you for the season He prepared your breakthrough. – WORDBITE 222.