HORM Devotional

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

DAILY READING; Luke 8:1-25; Genesis 12; Psalm 6

George Whitefield is said to be America’s first celebrity due to his overwhelming popularity during the 18th century. When only in his twenties, he became perhaps the person most recognized by everyone in colonial America. He was the most popular preacher of the Evangelical Revival in Great Britain and of the Great Awakening in America.

While the suddenness of Whitefield’s acclaim at the time disarmed skeptics and baffled his critics, what they failed to recognize was that Whitfield was only seeing the fruit of the seed he had sown in diligent spiritual preparation.

When he was 15 years of age, George Whitefield was so hungry for God, that though he served in his father’s drinking bar, once the bar closed, he would go up to his room and read his Bible by the light of a candle. He would spend hours in studying, praying and having sweet communion with the Holy Spirit.

Later ,while studying in the university, Whitefield associated with Charles and John Wesley who  helped to deepened his spiritual life. In his search for God, Whitefield often prayed and fasted so much that at a point it broke down his health and, under doctor’s orders,  he was confined to bed for seven weeks. 

As he continued to increase in spiritual strength, at only 25 years old, he took America by storm when he embarked on a preaching tour in 1739. America’s Great Awakening was sparked largely by this  preaching tour. During another great tour through New England, though only 26 years at the time, he drew thousands and shops and businesses were closed as people trooped to hear him.  

Whitefield kindled religious revivals throughout Britain and North America and prompted the founding of about fifty colleges and universities in the United States.

He remained a magnet that drew many people to the Gospel throughout his lifetime. And up till the day before his death, he preached until late at night to a rapt audience and then died the following morning.

Genesis 8:22 says “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

For our life to truly count on earth, it must be sown deeply in the service of  God. The principles of seedtime and harvest control every man’s life and destiny.  Whether we  realize it or not, everything  we  are experiencing  now is a direct result  of the  spiritual investments we have made in our lives in the past. Indeed the fruit our lives  eventually produce is a reflection of how we have spiritually invested our time.

Our life is made up of our time. That is why our period on earth is called a ‘lifetime’. And for us to reap a fruitful life on earth it is important that we sow our time rightly  in the diligent pursuit of God.

Our choice for dedication today is what  guarantees our distinction tomorrow. Indeed our actions today are seeds of our future that grow in the soil of time to bear fruit for us. We can therefore determine to reap a  glorious life, by investing time  in the place of adequate spiritual preparation.

We must understand that it is God’s plan in this end-time for His glory to be seen upon us. In spite of  the growing gloominess and darkness in the world, God is raising an army of  believers who will command influence and  be celebrated by their  world.

But that will happen when we take time to adequately prepare spiritually. Every sudden manifestation of glory is usually a product of long term spiritual preparation. Nobody’s life can be more glorious than his level of  dedication to God.  

Spiritual preparation demands discipline in the place of diligent study of God’s Word, fasting, praying, sacrifice, worship and service. It is only  those who pay the due price in spiritual preparation that become due for manifestation. The truth is that  God won’t project you unless He has first prepared you.  When our life is planted as a seed in God’s kingdom, we will eventually manifest as a sign and a wonder to our world.  Indeed as we pay the spiritual  price of diligent pursuit of God, we will arise and shine and the glory of the Lord will be seen upon us. 

PRAYER: Lord, please  help me to pay the needed spiritual price so at to  manifest Your glory to the world  around me. Please help me to invest my time  rightly in the pursuit of Your kingdom,  so that I can reap the  harvest of Your overflowing blessings  in  Jesus’ Name.  

QUOTE :

Illuminate your world for you are a star destined to shine. WORDBITE 222..

Exodus 12:13 ” The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt”.

DAILY READING;  Luke 7:18-50; Genesis 11; Psalm 5

In 1948, Israel’s War for Independence concluded with a ceasefire that left Jerusalem divided into two. While Israel controlled the western part of Jerusalem, Jordan controlled the eastern part, which included the Temple Mount, the Western wall and other important religious sites. Jews were not allowed to enter Jerusalem’s walls or to pray inside the city. However, all that changed in June 1967, when God unleashed a miracle of biblical proportions in the form of the Six-Day War.

One of the most amazing miracles in the war was Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem from Jordan.  Starting from June 5^th 1967, the Israeli army had violently battled the  Jordanian troops in an attempt to capture the old city of East Jerusalem. However on June 7th, something amazing happened. The Jordanians suddenly stopped firing and an eerie silence befell the city.  The Israelis couldn’t understand the sudden quietness or why the Jordanians had stopped firing, Suspecting a trap, Israeli troops were dispatched to check for an ambush.  However, they came back with the report that it was not a  trap, but rather a miracle! The Jordanian forces had inexplicably fled from the city, the only  thing left  behind was their equipment. It seemed as if God had gone ahead of the Israeli army and cleared every opposition.  

And so the Israeli forces entered East Jerusalem,  and  took over the city without even firing a single shot. And for the first time in over two thousand years, Israel had  full  control of Jerusalem.

Though the Arab residents  left in the city were fearful they would be attacked, the invading Israeli soldiers simply told them  “Every house with a white flag on its gate will be spared, and whoever does not have the white mark will be broken in by force”. The residents promptly complied.

The residents of Hebron located south of Jerusalem, were especially fearful because they had massacred  the city’s Jewish community in 1929 and feared Israel would now revenge.  But as the residents promptly flew white sheets from their windows and rooftops, and voluntarily gave up their weapons., Israeli soldiers did not attack them.  By the end of the war, Israel had crushed enemies to the north, east, and south and tripled her territory. And most importantly for the first time, in over two millennia, Jerusalem was finally reunited as a free city under the Israeli flag.  

When the Israeli troops gave the instruction that  white flags be placed in front of the houses in Jerusalem, it was meant to be a sign of peace, that would stop them from attacking.

When God gave the Israelites the instruction to place the sign of the Blood on  their doorposts and on their lintels, it was to stop, destruction from invading their homes.

In Exodus 12:13 God says ” The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt”.

By obeying the instruction, the blood of the lamb protected Israel from the judgments that came upon Egypt.

This story of the Passover provides us with an insight on the Blood of Jesus and its inherent power to divinely shield us from evil and harm. Indeed the Blood of Jesus is God’s divine provision for our protection from every satanic invasion and oppression.

The truth is that a lot of invisible battles go on in the realm of the spirit  against believers. Life is a battlefield and not a playground; a warfare not a funfair, and it takes the engagement of the superior spiritual  force of the Blood  to overcome.   Zechariah 1:18-21; spoke about the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem, ‘so that no man did lift up his head:’ These horns of the Gentiles were the wicked forces stopping the progress of the people and manipulating their destinies.

However, the Blood of Jesus is the ultimate weapon that destroys every invisible battle against  our progress. All barriers on our path are cleared away at the invocation of the Blood. Every time we plead the Blood of Jesus, the Blood begins to speak, “Passover” to every force of destruction.

Especially in this season of  harvest we need the power in the Blood of Jesus to shield us from the anti-covenant forces that abort harvest. With so many forces fighting the fruitfulness and progress of believers, the mystery of the Blood Covenant is so essential in this season.

Today, especially, we invoke the Blood against everything that tries to steal our joy. Joy is the sickle of harvest. and anything that tries to hinder our joy is actually attempting to dry up our harvest.

Joel 1:12-17 says ‘The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.’

Therefore by the Blood we resist everything that tries to tamper with our joy this month. By the Blood we shield ourselves from every from of depression and sadness. And  as we remain joyful and praiseful in every situation, surely the earth will yield its increase to us and God’s surpassing blessings shall dwell upon all our endeavors.  

PRAYER:  Lord,  I Thank You that by the Blood of Jesus I am an overcomer over every invisible force fighting my destiny. Thank You Lord, for continually filling my heart with joy and granting me amazing progress in all my endeavors in Jesus Name. .

QUOTE

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

Deuteronomy 28:1 ‘And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth…’

DAILY READING; Luke 7:1-17; Genesis 8-10; Psalm 4.

Japanese pilot, Mitsuo Fuchida, led the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. It became one of the most successful aerial attacks in history. As a result he was highly decorated in the Japanese air force but also became greatly hated by Americans soldiers. He was especially hated by  a young American bomber pilot, Jacob DeShazer,  who longed to revenge against Japan for the attack.
The opportunity came for DeShazer when he became a part of the very first bombing raids over Japan. But after dropping his bombs on the city of Nagoya, DeShazer was forced to bail out when his plane ran out of fuel, He ended up being captured by  the Japanese army.
The maltreatment DeShazer suffered in prison for two years made his hatred of the Japanese to only grow deeper. However, in 1944, someone gave him a Bible and through reading it, his life became totally changed. He surrendered his life to Christ Jesus and as a result his hatred for the Japanese vanished and instead he began to pray and witness to them. When the war was over, DeShazer was released and returned home to America.

However, after training to be a missionary DeShazer returned again to Japan. He established a church in Nagoya, the very city he had bombed. His ministry impacted thousands of Japanese people, among them Fuchida, the Japanese hero, whom  DeShazer had once deeply hated for bombing  Pearl Harbor. Fuchida had one day received a Gospel tract written by DeShazer titled, “I Was a Prisoner of the Japanese.”. As he read the story of how DeShazer’s  life was transformed through Christ, Fuchida was fascinated. Despite his traditionally Buddhist heritage, he bought a Bible and began to read.
After reading the climactic story of the Crucifixion, Fuchida  surrendered his life to Christ on April 14, 1950
His conversion made big News Headlines in Japan. And though friends and family tried to persuade him to discard “this crazy idea”, he remained steadfast in his new faith. He later began travelling as an evangelist around the world, sharing the story of his conversion and the transforming power of God’s Word.  

It is truly amazing how these two soldiers experienced positive life transformations through their encounter with God’s Word.  Indeed the seed of God’s Word will always birth the harvest of a positive change.
The truth is that life is essentially a seed time and harvest time adventure. The harvest we reap is determined by the seeds we sow. To experience a positive change of story, we must pave the way for glory, through sowing the seed of God’s Word.

Joshua 1: 8 tells us that meditation in God’s Word will lead us to good success.
Success is not an issue of chance, but of choice. And if a successful life is our goal, then diligent study of God’s Word must be our choice.. As our soul prospers through feeding on the Word, our lives will naturally  prosper in all aspects.

The truth is that no one ever gets out of life more than what they put into it. Likewise, our height of glory will be determined by our depth in God’s Word.

Right now, we are in a season of divine release and supernatural harvest. It is our season to see double for our troubles. In this season God is dealing bountifully with His people and releasing a harvest of overwhelming blessings into our lives. But the key to unlocking our harvest is alignment with His Word.

Indeed God’s  instructions will lead us to  distinction. His ways will lead us to the highways of life and laying hold of His commandments will put us in command of life’s affairs.

And as we diligently hearken to His Word in this season, God will indeed set us up on high and cause His blessings to chase us down and overtake us. [Deuteronomy 28]

PRAYER:  Lord please help enable me to continually sow the seed of Your Word in my heart so that I can reap my supernatural harvest in this season. Thank You Lord for the overflow of Your blessings upon all my endeavors  in Jesus name.  

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

1 Thessalonians 5:24  “faithful is He who called you, and He also will bring it to pass”

DAILY READING; Luke 6:27-49; Genesis 6:1-7:24; Psalm 3

When Maria Woodworth-Etter first heard the Lord’s call to an evangelistic ministry,  she did not immediately heed the call. As a single woman in the latter part of the nineteenth century, she didn’t know how she could venture into ministry, which was mainly believed to be a terrain for men.

And so she ignored the call, got married, had six children and concentrated on being a good wife. However, over the course of time, Maria struggled in her marriage. Then overwhelming tragedy struck as she lost five of her six children to illness. Maria felt her suffering was because she had not answered the call on her life. However as she began to study the Word of God, she understood that God’s calling upon her life was without repentance. She also found out from her study that God had used women in the Bible as ministers, prophets, and leaders. Then Maria had a vision where she saw herself preaching in a wide field of waving grains, As the grains began to fall like sheaves, she heard Jesus say to her that just as the grain fell, so people would fall as she preached.

Finally, Maria yielded to the increasingly clear call and asked the Lord to anoint her for ministry. And the Lord did. As her ministry began, every meeting she held, there was a demonstration of the power of the Spirit as God used her mightily to do great miracles.

Today, Maria Woodworth-Etter is regarded as the grandmother of the Pentecostal movement. Her commitment and dedication personally influenced such great heroes of the faith as Smith Wigglesworth, Aimee Semple McPherson, John Alexander Dowie, John G. Lake, E.W. Kenyon, F.F. Bosworth, and Kathryn Kuhlman.

We can learn from Maria Woodworth-Etter’s life not to easily let go of our vision. Even if it looks like it is far out of reach and  no way it could be accomplished, we must hold on to it. God is always at work in our lives to bring to pass His purpose. Spiritually we all carry a sign that says “Under Construction!”.

Despite the failures and setbacks we may sometimes face, God is not finished yet!  His gifts and callings are without repentance.

When God gives us a dream, it’s like conception, it is like a seed that God plants in the womb of the heart. However before it can come into manifestation, it must go through a process of development. This is then the stage where the enemy tries hard to abort the harvest through discouragement, doubt and impatience.

For instance, many of us started out with great dreams for this year, however  with  the discouraging global situation, some have concluded their vision can no longer come to pass. But despite the difficulties, we must remain pregnant with expectation.

When a woman is pregnant, she is said to be “expecting.” In the same way, to carry our vision to full-term, we must remain expectant. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by trials.

Just like pain often precedes birth, battles will precede victories and trials will precede triumphs. And if only you can decide not to give up no matter how hard the fight, you will surely reap your harvest.

This ninth month of September is indeed a season of unusual harvest. Often the greater the battle, the higher the mantle. Likewise, the great discomfort and tribulations of these past months could be indication of the great grace and Anointing being released this year for unprecedented glory. We must therefore remain sensitive not to miss our portion. God who called us to be revived for glory this year will indeed ensure that we see the manifestation.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 says “faithful is He who called you, and He also will bring it to pass”

Let us therefore keep our eyes single on the vision. Let us keep looking on to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Indeed as we remain faithful, we will be fruitful. And as we refuse to quit, we will surely win.

PRAYER. Father I thank You for working in my life to bring to pass the glorious vision You have put in my heart. By Your grace in this month I shall see the manifestation of the glory You have ordained for me in this season in Jesus Name.

QUOTE :

When God is on your side anything is possible. WORDBITE 222;

Isaiah 61:3 ‘to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…’

DAILY READING – – • Luke 6:1-26; Genesis 3-5; Psalm 2

On March 17, 2016, ‘USA Today’, published the interesting story of Pilot Don Rheinhart.
In March 1976, Don Rheinhart then a 22-years old pilot had crashed a private plane he was flying, in Minnesota after the engines had failed. Of the four people aboard, Rheinhart was the most seriously injured. The first responders to the accident scene, didn’t expect him to live. He had suffered multiple injuries and a broken back. His face had smashed against the instrument panel, knocking out his teeth.
After he was rushed to the hospital, he ended up spending two months in intensive care. While there, he came in contact with a Christian ministry, the Bethany Fellowship and soon gave his life to Christ. With his new faith in God, things began to turn around for him.
Though he had crashed in Minnesota not knowing anyone, nine months later, he got married to the student nurse who had tended to him at the hospital. He also had new friends and a new Church family. After he was discharged from the hospital, Don Rheinhart later resumed his flying career, and became quite successful.
Forty years later, in 2016, now a father and grandfather, Don, drove from his current home in Lowa to Minnesota, to mark the 40th anniversary of the plane crash. He returned to the very spot of the crash to thank God for how the crash had changed his life. Through the plane crash, he had come to new life in Christ, met his wife and met new family and friends. On the spot of the crash, Don and some of the people who had been witness to the event forty years ago, joined hands and bowed heads, and offered prayers and thanks to God.

Indeed the same God who leads us to green pastures also guides us through the valleys of life. Everyone sometimes goes through disappointments and things that don’t seem to make sense. But no matter what you may sometimes have to face, you can trust that eventually God will cause all things to work together for your good, when you love Him.
God working all things “together.” means that you don’t just isolate one part of your life where something may have gone wrong. In the bigger picture God weaves all things, both the good and the bad, to work together for good in His greater plan for you. God can see the big picture better than any of us. And despite the setback or disappointment we may sometimes experience, God uses it all to manifest His glory in the end. He eventually connects all the dots in our lives to form the beautiful picture of His faithfulness.

Understand that God always has a plan of bringing forth beauty out of the ashes in your life.

Isaiah 61:3 says ‘to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…’

Indeed in all situations we must continue to praise God and declare Him faithful. God is too faithful to fail. He is good all the time. Despite seemingly negative situations, God always has a plan to turn all things around in our favor. God works behind the scenes and eventually orchestrates the lines to fall for us in pleasant places.
Even when you don’t see anything happening in the natural, keep standing, Keep believing and keep hoping in God’s Word. As you remain fervent in prayers, praise and diligent study of the Word, spiritually, things will begin to move in your favor.
Our concern should be to always ensure we are walking in God’s will and plan through staying in close fellowship with His Spirit and His Word. And as we continue to stand in faith it is only a matter of time before we see a great manifestation of God’s goodness. Indeed God has our best interest at heart. His thoughts towards us are thoughts of peace, never of evil to give us an expected end. And though we may not sometimes understand it initially, when it is all said and done, we will look back and see that indeed God has caused all things to work together for our good.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for enabling me to always stand in faith and strengthening me by Your Word. No matter what comes my way, I thank you for the grace to always rise stronger and better in Jesus Name. .

Quote
True success is not verifiable in the fact a man has never fallen before but rather in the fact that he did not only fall but also got up- WORDBITE 222.

Psalm 91:14-15 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD , “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”

DAILY READING – – Luke 5:27-39; Genesis 1:1-2:25; Psalm 1

In his book titled ‘Who’s Coming To Dinner?’, Bishop Bob Morgan tells a powerful story about a Dutch pastor and his family who  got into big trouble with the Nazis during the second World War.  This Dutch pastor and his family had been saving the lives of Jewish people by hiding them in their home, away from Hitler’s forces.  However, one day, their activities were found out. That night when they heard the sound of heavy boots and the loud impatient knocking, they opened the door, to find that Hitler’s forces had come to arrest them. They were then loaded into a cattle train to be taken to one of the notorious death camps.  All night long as the Dutch pastor and his family jostled against the other prisoners who were jammed into the train, they silently cried out to God for deliverance. They knew they were being taken to one of Hitler’s extermination centers to be killed.

Finally, the long night ended and the train stopped. The doors of the train were opened and morning light streamed into the tragic scene.  However, to the utter amazement of the prisoners, they found that they were not in a death camp at all, not even in Germany, but somehow they had arrived in Switzerland , a county free from Hitler’s rule. It had so happened that during the night, inexplicably, the direction of their train had been diverted and rather than go to a death camp, the train had arrived in Switzerland… and to freedom.  And instead of being marched to death, the Dutch pastor, his family and the other prisoners, were now welcomed  by the people of Switzerland to begin a new life in their country.

This Dutch Pastor and his family had risked their lives by working to save the Jews from death and when it seemed they were headed for trouble, God subverted the plans of the enemy and delivered them from the mouth of the lion.

The truth is that living to please God, will sometimes come with a price.  When we decide to do that which is right in the sight of God, we may face persecutions as a result. But no matter the cost, we must always make obedience to God’s Word, top priority in our lives.

When Daniel purposed in His heart to obey God, he faced consequences. When he decided to pray to God despite the king’s commandment he was thrown into the Lions’ den. But God delivered him from all his troubles and caused him to be promoted as the ruler over the province of Babylon. Indeed God is a rewarder of those that obey Him.

Psalm 91:14-15 says “Because he loves me,” says the LORD , “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”

When we love God and seek to always obey Him, God ensures our deliverance from troubles. The reality is that, today, living a life that constantly honors God is like going against the tide. In a world where sin is being exalted and unrighteousness is being promoted, our decision to live a holy life and glorify God, may often be met with persecution. When others are compromising and dining at the tables of Babylon, it may not be easy to purpose not to defile ourselves with the king’s meat. But whatever we may suffer for the sake of Christ, God will always be our deliverer and ever present help in trouble.

God has not called the sons of Jacob to seek Him in vain and when we honor Him, He ensures we are rewarded in the end.   For honoring God, He will separate us from trouble, He will bless our bread, and water; and take sickness away from us. Where we were meant to stumble God will cause us to soar, and what the enemy meant for evil, God will turn it all around to be for our good.

PRAYER; Lord, Please help me to always follow the path of obedience to Your Word, no matter the cost. May I never be ashamed of You before men rather let my lifestyle always honor and glorify You at all times in Jesus Name.

Quote

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

Isaiah 30:29-31 ‘Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord, to the mighty One of Israel. And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard..’

DAILY READING; Luke 5:27-39; Genesis 1:1-2:25; Psalm 1

Smith Wigglesworth was a British evangelist who was used mightily by God in the 20th century. One of the secrets of his outstanding success in ministry was the ability to hear God’s voice. In one remarkable story, he heard God say to him one day “go raise Lazarus.” This particular “Lazarus” was a Welsh minister who used to work in the mines during the day and preached the gospel at night. However, he contracted tuberculosis and had spent six years as an invalid by the time Wigglesworth received the orders from God to seek him out.

When Wigglesworth arrived at this miner’s home, he was greeted at the door by a cynical man who told him not to bother praying for ‘Lazarus’. This man told Wigglesworth, “The moment you see him, you will be ready to go home.”

When Wigglesworth was taken to Lazarus, all he saw was a mass of skin and bones, but, even as bad as the illness was, the state of his faith was worse, as he was full of bitterness and unbelief. But Wigglesworth was not moved by any of this, because he had heard from God. When Wigglesworth left the house, he sought out seven other believers to stand with him in prayer. That night as they prayed and fasted, Wigglesworth heard God tell him what to do about Lazarus: “Don’t pray, don’t anoint him with oil, don’t touch him. All eight of you gather around the bed and repeat the name of Jesus.”

The following morning, the eight men showed up at Lazarus’ house. They gathered around his bed and began to call the Name of Jesus. As they continued to hold hands and call “Jesus, Jesus,” , the power of God fell. As Lazarus cried out to God, repenting of his unbelief and bitterness, the power of God went through him, and he was healed. This man who had been bedridden for 6 years, got up and dressed himself without any assistance. Then he and Wigglesworth walked downstairs, singing praises to God.

Amazing miracles are a function of contact with God’s voice. Any time we hear God’s voice and obey, we compel the manifestation of signs and wonders from Heaven. Every great story in the Bible was preceded with, “God said”. And the great exploits achieved by the heroes of faith, were because of the Word, they heard from God. Indeed the voice of God is a barrier breaker, that silences oppositions and guarantees us victory. .

Psalm 29:4-5 says that The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.’

Usually when God asks us to do anything, He has already gone ahead of us to make the crooked places straight. And when we come to Him, and hear His voice and follow His prepared and preordained path, we eventually experience our victory.

Hearing the voice of God is what imparts into us the confidence and boldness to overcome oppositions. Hearing the voice of God, is what makes you to ignore the noise of the enemy and progress unhindered in life. Indeed the voice of God is what births strong faith and gives stability to our destiny. The moment you encounter God’s Word, you have switched on the miraculous because God’s Word is the carrier of God’s power, and where the Word of a king is, there is power.

To hear God’s voice, we must engage in a lifestyle of prayer and fasting. In Acts 13:2 While Paul, Barnabas, and those with them ‘ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’.

We also hear Gods voice by engaging in a lifestyle of praise.

Isaiah 30:29-31 says ‘Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord, to the mighty One of Israel. And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard..’

To hear God, it is important also that we diligently study the Scriptures, because many times God speaks to us through the pages of the Bible.

Hearing God’s voice enables us to progress in life with spiritual precision. Therefore, instead of wondering, pondering or doing guess work to locate which way to go, let us pay the required spiritual price to hear God’s voice. When we hear God’s voice and follow His divine direction, we will live in constant victory, because every issue of life answers to the authority of God’s Word..

PRAYER; Lord, Please grant me the grace to pay the required spiritual price to always hear Your voice on every major issue of my life. As I obey Your voice, I thank You for the mighty manifestations of Your miracles, signs and wonders in Jesus Name.

Quote

Faith is more than just believing, it is acting upon The Word that you believe. WORDBITE 222.

Psalm 124:7 ‘Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped.’

DAILY READING – – • – Luke 5:1-26; Ezekiel 48; Isaiah 66

Liu Zhenying, known as ‘Brother Yun’, is the only person known to have escaped from the notorious Hangzhou maximum security prison in China.
Brother Yun is an exiled Chinese Christian leader,, who was involved in the Christian house church networks in China during the 1980s and 90s. Seen as a rebel by the Chinese government, he was declared highly wanted and when he was finally arrested, he was sentenced to many years in prison. But even in the prison, Brother Yun continued his ministry with outstanding miracles that brought many prisoners and even prison officials to Christ.
Though the security in the prison was so tight that nobody had ever been able to escape, one day, he heard the voice of the Holy Spirit, telling him to simply walk out of the heavily guarded prison gates. Despite the risk of being shot, he obeyed the voice, and walked straight through several closed prison doors in front of many prison guards, across the prison yard and finally out of the main gate. Brother Yun stated that it was as if he had become invisible to the guards who stared straight through him.
After his miraculous escape, some prison guards lost their jobs for what the government described as an ’embarrassing mishap.’ However, after an official investigation by the Chinese Government, it was concluded that Brother Yun had received no human help in his escape. Baffled by this mysterious event, the government then ruled that he should remain free. Brother Yun, after leaving China has travelled to many other countries and has reached thousands internationally with the Gospel message. His book titled “The Heavenly Man’ captures his amazing story.

Psalm 124:7 says ‘Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped.’

Divine escape is real. In situations where it seems we are edged in and no way out, God often arises to do the miraculous. Peter found himself in such a situation. In Acts 12:6 Peter was in prison between two soldiers, bound with chains and there were keepers who kept the prison door. In such a situation, where an escape appeared unthinkable, God suddenly showed up through angelic intervention and Peter was miraculously delivered.
In those times when there seems to be no human solution and we have done everything that can be done, God’s divine deliverance is always available for us. Where it seems we have come to our wit’s end, God often arises to make a way for us. Through His yoke-breaking anointing, God can cut through barriers and break us out of every prison of affliction.

Isaiah 10:27 says ‘And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.’
Today, it doesn’t matter the evil hindrance trying to limit your growth, promotion, or breakthrough, God is able to break every such barrier and make a way of escape for you.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says that with every temptation God has made a way of escape.

Indeed, you can escape every prison of sickness, poverty, disfavor, etc. By the grace of God upon your life, you can defy the odds and do what even the experts say has never been done.
It doesn’t matter how the enemy may have tried to limit your progress or hinder your destiny, today, God will cause a technical failure, to every instrument of oppression being used to sponsor affliction in your life.

However, faith in God’s Word is what facilitates our miraculous escape from every prison of limitations.. Indeed when we believe nothing shall be impossible to us . As far as our eyes can see in God’s Word, it shall be given unto us

Therefore, through faith in God’s Word, in this new month of divine deliveries, we shall be released from every form of limitation, and through God’s mighty Hand upon us, every burden shall be lifted and every yoke broken in Jesus Name.

PRAYER; Father, I thank You for Your divine intervention in my life. By Your power every yoke of limitation and every barrier in any area of my life has been destroyed today in Jesus Name.

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Nothing liberates like truth, the truth you know and act upon will set you free.- – WORDBITE 222.

Isaiah 45:2  ” I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.

DAILY REAIDNG; • Luke 4:31-44; Ezekiel 46-47; Isaiah 65

Traditionally, basketball is a game for tall people, with some of the players  towering at staggering heights of  7-foot-7 and weights bordering on 300+ pounds.  A game of such intimidating body statistics should have deterred  an average height, underweight youngster named Stephen  Curry from wanting to pursue a career in basketball. In the history of the NBA stars, Stephen Curry has the lightest weight and is one of the smallest in height. However, through faith in God and hard work, he broke NBA records and has today, become one the greatest players in the history of the sport.

In his early years in the game, many people counted  Stephen out. When he first began to play in the NBA, teams questioned his ability to play on the big-stage due to his lack of “NBA size and strength.”

To worsen matters, between 2011 and 2013, he battled recurring ankle injuries and underwent surgery, leaving many to wonder if he had the physical durability to play at the professional level. But despite the setbacks, as a devoted Christian, he relied on God’s strength to see him through.  Since he didn’t have the great height or weight of the other players, Stephen began to build his own game primarily on his skills. He developed great skills at shooting, dribbling, passing and teamwork. He turned his relatively average height into an added advantage and built himself to become one of the strongest players in their team.

By 2015, people’s doubt about Stephen Curry began to transform into awe as he led his team ‘the Golden State Warriors’ to win NBA championships and he became the Most Valuable Player [MVP] in the 2014-15 season and in the 2015-2016 season. He broke NBA’s history by becoming the first NBA player elected as the MVP by a unanimous vote and today he is considered one of the greatest stars ever to play in the NBA.

Though the chips were stacked against Stephen Curry, through faith in God, he was able to break through the barriers and limitations.  He overcame all the adversity thrown at him and beat the system, wildly surpassing anyone’s expectations of what he would be.

The truth is that when you are a child of God, your case will always be different. The limitations that stop others will not be able to hinder you. Through the power of God at work in you, where others fail, you will rise and excel.

When we put God first in our affairs, He goes before us, to break barriers and limitations and make a way even where there seems to be no way.  Through His power, Insurmountable obstacle are crushed and crooked places made straight. .

In  Isaiah 45:2 God says ” I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.

Those obstacles that sometimes loom like mountains on our path cannot withstand the Presence of God when He goes before us.  When  God went before Israel on their journey to the promised land, the Bible says that  the sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back. The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. [Psalm 114.[

Indeed when God goes before you, stumbling blocks are turned to stepping stones and barriers are converted to blessings.  The truth is that none of us can overcome insurmountable odds by our own strength, but when we engage the barrier -breaking, yoke destroying anointing of the Spirit, every opposition on our path becomes easily leveled.

However we must recognize that our victory over obstacles and our ability to rise above limitations is made possible through Christ’s Blood shed at Calvary for us. Indeed we must be grateful to God for the spotless blood of Jesus that has been freely made available to us. Indeed by His blood we have been redeemed to enjoy the blessings of grace and win in life’s race.

PRAYER: Father I thank You for granting me the grace to rise above barriers and limitations. Through the Power you have made available for me through the Blood, my victory over every challenge of life is indeed guaranteed in Jesus Name.

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

Micah 2:13 [AMPC] “The Breaker [the Messiah] will go up before them. They will break through, pass in through the gate and go out through it, and their King will pass on before them, the Lord at their head.”

DAILY READING; – Luke 4:1-30; Ezekiel 44-45; Isaiah 64

The first wave of the return of the Jews to Israel in 1881, is called the first ‘Aliyah’.

Before then, for almost 2000 years of their exile, the Jews tenaciously held on to the promise of their return and restoration as prophesied by prophet Ezekiel. But as the time prophesied drew nearer, the actualization seemed impossible. The Ottoman Empire solidly controlled the region which was then called Palestine, and they were hostile to the return of the Jews.

However in 1881, Russian Jews began to flee to Palestine because they were being massacred in Russia, after being blamed for the assassination of Czar Alexander II.

This arrival of an estimated 35,000 Russian Jews to Palestine in 1881 is known as the first ‘Aliyah’. In a bid not to be seen as a threat by the Arabs, these first Jewish immigrants hid deep in their hearts their dream for the restoration of their ancient homeland.

Over the following years, in a second, third and fourth ‘Aliyah’ many more Jews from other countries also began to return to the land. However, as the Jewish population continued to increase, the Arabs became uncomfortable and a ban was placed on Jewish immigration. But despite the Ban, the Jews continued to migrate illegally into the region. The Jews knew the time for the birthing of their dream was drawing near. While they tried to camouflage their real aspirations from the Arabs, they were, however, certain of their aims and of the means needed to achieve them.

Eventually by the early 20th century, as the Jewish population increased significantly, their dream could no longer be hidden. The prophetic clock was ticking and the time for the birthing of modern Israel had come. By this time, the Jews had bought as much land as possible and become established in the region. Despite the stiff opposition that arose from the Arabs nothing could stop the birthing of their dream. In 1948, against all odds, the modern state of Israel was born. Its birth and continual survival remains one of the greatest miracles and mysteries of modern human history. And yet, it also indicates that nothing can stop the manifestation of God’s Word when its due season has come.

Today, we recognize that the world is passing through glaring global challenges. And so far this year has been one of the most difficult years in history. However, the truth is that despite the difficulties of this year, it cannot stop God’s Word from coming to pass in our lives.

Today marks the beginning of the 9th month, which is when the year delivers to us what has been held up in its womb. When it’s time for a baby to be born, the surrounding climate or environment does not stop the baby from coming forth. The inner forces of contraction only recognize that the 9th month has come and it is time for the birth to take place. Likewise, regardless of the global economy or social conditions, our prophesied glory is about to be birthed in this season.

In this ninth month, the force of spiritual contraction is already working within us to birth forth glory. There is an inner acceleration that only recognizes that Heaven’s timing for us has come. And according to this power at work in us, God will be doing exceedingly abundantly above all we could ever ask , think or imagine.

Just like pain precedes birth, the troubles and difficulties of this year have only been indicative of labor pains. The discomforts have been signs that you are about to step into a new level of destiny. You are indeed about to see glory unveiled. Nothing can stop this manifestation, because God is releasing upon you the breakers anointing to break the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron asunder.

Micah 2:13 [AMPC] says “The Breaker [the Messiah] will go up before them. They will break through, pass in through the gate and go out through it, and their King will pass on before them, the Lord at their head.”

As God goes before us this month we will be unstoppable. Through the Blood of Jesus every yoke of limitation will be broken. Let us therefore live each day with expectancy and faith. Our time has indeed come and surely, God’s glory is about to be unveiled in our lives.

PRAYER: Father I thank You for the power and anointing that is available to me through the Blood of Jesus. Indeed by Your grace every barrier and limitations are being broken and in this month I shall surely see Your glory unveiled in Jesus’ Name.

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