HORM Devotional

Psalm 16:11 ‘Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’

DAILY READING – •           John 8:21-47; 2 Chronicles 2:17-5:1; Malachi 1:1-2:9

For many years, men have seen eagles as a symbol of beauty, bravery, courage, honor, pride, determination and grace. What makes this bird so important and symbolic to humanity is its characteristics.

And one of such characteristics is the eagles’ ability to use the force of the storm to their advantage.

Eagles are the only birds that love the storm. An eagle can sense a storm approaching long before it breaks. The eagle then flies to some high spot and waits for the winds to come. As dark storms begin to march across the horizon, and the thunder starts to roll and echo, the eagle sets its wings.  When the storm strikes an eagle, due to how it had sets its wings, the air currents send it above the storm by their very fury. While all other birds seek shelter, flee from the storm and hide from its fierceness,  eagles fly right into it and use the wind of the storm to rise higher.

They use the pressure of the storm to glide higher without having to use their own energy. They are able to do this because God has created them uniquely with an ability to lock their wings in a fixed position in the midst of the fierce winds.  This then causes the winds to lift the eagle higher. And so while the storm rages below, the eagle soars above it, and the stronger the storm, the higher the eagle rises.

And just like the eagle, we can take advantage of the storms of life. Instead of struggling we can ride on the wings of The Spirit, allowing Him to turn our trials into triumphs. Indeed the Spirit of God knows how to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones to our greater destiny.

Therefore, in the midst of trials, instead of being gloomy, let us rather be glad and rejoice knowing that God is able to make a way for us, through the mighty waters.

Our wisdom is limited and we may not know what to do when faced with contrary winds, but if we engage the help of God and go where The Spirit leads, we will never need to struggle.

Just like the eagle, God can use your challenges to take you to higher heights and bring you to greater shores. God always knows how to turn things around, this is why we should draw closer to Him in times of trials.

Maintaining God’s Presence is crucial if we must have the victory in battle. And it takes praise to engage His presence. When we praise,  God arises and all His enemies will be scattered.

As we saw in the story of king Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20, when he  was confronted by armies greater than him, instead of fighting them  by his strength, he engaged the presence of the Almighty, All powerful God through praise.

Indeed God’s Presence will always make you unbeatable in any battle.

Let us therefore realize that challenges are only there to make us better and not bitter. Like the eagle we can take advantage of the storm, and use it to rise to greater heights in life. Storms are there to make you stronger, they are reasons for you to draw closer to God. This is why we count it all joy, in the midst of trials. The joy is the trigger for engaging God’s Presence, because in His Presence is fullness of joy.

Psalm 16:11 says ‘Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’

As we remain joyful and praiseful, God’s Presence will surround us, He will fight our battles for us and give us the total victory.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to stand strong despite the fierce winds of oppositions. Despite any challenge I may face, I thank You Father, for granting me 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.

Isaiah 45:2 ‘I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:’

DAILY READING – John 8:1-20; 2 Chronicles 1:1-2:16; Zechariah14

Oswald J. Smith died in January 1986. Just prior to his death, he said, “there is something within me calling, ever calling. ..It is that irresistible ‘must go.’ The divine fire burns within my heart.”

Indeed this divine fire was what made him not to be stopped by the many disappointments that came his way, during his lifetime. In 1920, as a young man, Oswald Smith, wanted to go to the mission field and serve as a missionary. However, several mission boards turned him down because they were concerned about his health. Smith was disappointed but not distracted from his vision of reaching people for Jesus Christ. Again, as a ministerial student , he suffered great pain and disappointment when his marriage engagement was broken off, this was perhaps the most emotionally devastating event Smith ever faced. However, amid despair he wrote some of his most memorable poetry, focusing explicitly on intimacy with God.

Through seeking God’s face, he received the vision to begin a new ministry; ‘The People’s Church’ in Toronto, Canada. This Church eventually sent out more missionaries than any other church at that time. He also later met and married a wife who suited him in every way. Despite the pain and disappointments of the past, because he relied on Christ, God turned it all around for him.

Smith wrote profusely, eventually authoring thirty-five Books, which would be translated into 125 languages and sell over six million copies worldwide. He also composed over one thousand hymns and poems. Indeed God transformed his disappointment into a great blessing, because he refused to give up.

Often times, disappointing things may happen in life that you will not immediately understand, but if you’ll keep the right attitude, and count it all joy, it’ll push you further into your destiny. Anyone who is getting ahead in life will be confronted by setbacks at one time or the other. But the difference between the winners and losers is the way they react to such situations.

We can always see a way out when we come to God in praise. Praise is essential for us to walk in God’s divine will and plan.

Sometimes it may seem as if you are in a night season of life and everything looks dark and hopeless, but there will always be a way out when you turn on the switch of praise. When you don’t know what to do, just give God praise. Keep your gaze on Jesus, keep judging Him faithful and keep counting it all joy. Praise brings God’s Presence, because God inhabits the praises of His people. And when God comes, you will experience a supernatural change of story.

No matter how tough things sometimes seem, always remember God is still on the throne. He is in control. He alone has the final say over your life. Weeping may have endured for the night but your joy is coming. And as you continue to trust in God, He will surely turn things around in your favor.

God said in Isaiah 45:2 ‘I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:’

God is your way maker. He will go ahead of you to destroy every barrier to your progress. He will indeed turn every disappointment into a blessing for you and what He has started in you, He will surely complete!

PRAYER: Lord, please strengthen me to persevere in praising You always and to always keep my focus on You. May I never allow setbacks to weigh me down, but rather by Your grace everything will work out together for my good 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.

James 1:2-4  ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.’ But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing’

DAILY READING; John 7:25-52; 1 Chronicles 29; Zechariah13

Two hours before his historic fight with Mike Tyson on November 9, 1996, Evander Holyfield began to panic. As the minutes crept closer, he became more anxious. Holyfield had every reason to be worried. Only two years earlier, in 1994, he had lost his WBA and IBF titles in a match against Michael Moorer, and afterwards he was diagnosed with a heart condition that forced him to retire from boxing. But he had been healed miraculously and returned again to boxing. And now he was to fight the feared Mike Tyson.

Many people believed Holyfield was on a suicide mission and the Media widely predicted that Tyson would crush him. However Holyfield, who had become a devoted born-again Christian in 1992, believed God would help him defeat Tyson. But now as the minutes counted down to the actual fight, sitting in his hotel room, Evander found himself panicking. But then recalling how David danced to The Lord, he began to play the Gospel song — ”Mighty Man of War”. He danced, clapped and praised God. He had also for the past four weeks before then,  been continually singing the song  ‘Be Magnified,’.

As he praised God, Evander felt something kick in. Suddenly his fears and anxiety were gone and he could feel new strength and power. And when he went into the ring, though the Media had predicted his demise, it was now Holyfield who head-butted and tortured Tyson throughout the fight. He knocked out Tyson and  won the victory.

Holyfield’s win was a big shock to the boxing world! However, Holyfield knew it was the grace of God that had turned things around in his favor and gave him supernatural victory.

Indeed winning in life depends on the attitude you choose to have. You can either focus on how big your problem is, or focus on how big your God is. You can either choose to be sad or choose to be glad. Whichever way, your attitude will eventually determine your altitude.

Gratitude to God always guarantees us higher altitudes in life. Choosing to praise God in the face of trials will always turn things around in our favor. Indeed Praise always precedes the victory. When you praise God, He will turn your adversities to your advantage. He will take what was meant for your harm and use it to advance you. He will turn your setbacks into a setup for your comeback.

This is why we rejoice even in the midst of contrary circumstances.

James 1:2-3 says ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.’

No matter the ‘big concerns’ that may sometimes face us, God is able to turn things around when we choose to rejoice in the face of adversity.

No doubt in the past few months, the world has been greatly challenged. However, no matter how adverse things may have been, the grace of God is at work to bring a supernatural turnaround. Biblically 5 is the number of grace, and today marks the beginning of the fifth month, which is the month of May. Therefore we can safely say that we have entered into a season of grace because the number 5 symbolizes God’s grace, goodness and favor.

And in this new season, the Blood of Jesus will be speaking supernatural victory for us. Revelation 12:11 says ‘And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.’

Through the Blood of Jesus and our testimony of praise, we have surely overcome. Therefore in this month, in everything, let us keep giving thanks to God. Rather than murmur or complain, let us continually rejoice in The Lord. Despite the greatness of any challenge, God is able to turn our mourning into dancing and give us beauty for ashes. In our individual lives and globally, God is indeed able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all we could ever ask, think or imagine.

PRAYER;

Lord, by reason of Your grace, I thank You for ushering me  into a new season of ease and peace. Thank You Lord for the inexplicable blessings, favors and goodness You are bringing my way in this new season in Jesus Name.

QUOTE

When you make that which is priority to God to become your priority, God automatically makes you priority in His own plan. – WORDBITE 222.

Galatians 5:1  ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.’

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

Black people in America, for many years lived under racial laws of segregation. These laws forbade black people from living in white neighborhoods, going to white schools, hospitals or even intermarrying. While black people did nothing about the segregation, it lingered. However, eventually, God used an ordinary black woman to change all of that.

December 1, 1955, was just like any other day when Rosa Parks, got on the bus. Along the way, a white man boarded the bus and found there were no more seats in the white section. The Bus driver then looked back at Rosa Park and asked her to stand so that the white man could sit. The other three black people in her row got up, but Rosa refused to move. Rosa believed all people were equal in the eyes of God. In that moment she determined she was going to live like the free person God created her to be. The driver called the police and Rosa was arrested. She was later released from jail that evening and ordered to pay a $14 fine. Although the fine was small, she knew the time had come to take a stand.

At the Monday night prayer meeting at church, their 25-year-old minister, Martin Luther King Jr, rallied the congregation around the need for a change in the country. And so began a boycott of the public bus system, by the black people for 381 days.  They often gathered at Church to pray and ask God for grace. Reverend King got lawyers who took their case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The American government eventually brought to an end the segregation of black people. However, the unfair laws were only changed, because black people stood up for their rights.

Galatians 5:1 says  ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.’

Spiritually, we sometimes suffer bondage and oppression because we refuse to stand up to enforce our covenant rights. The truth is that what you don’t want, you don’t watch. And what you don’t confront you cannot conquer.

A time comes when you need to rebel spiritually against the forces trying to oppress and you hold you down. A time comes when you put down your foot and declare ‘enough is enough’, I am better than this!’

In your finances, in your health, in your marriage, and family, there are things you have been tolerating for too long. And as long as you do nothing about them, that situation will keep lingering.  However, in this season decide to dislodge them and gain your freedom through violence of faith.

It is the violent that takes it by force. Whatever has been trying to hold you in spiritual slavery, it is time to rebel against it. It is time to reject every negative situation trying to confine you and limit you.  You are what God says you are, not what circumstance or situations dictate to you. You are the child of The King and not a slave, you are the head and not the tail, you are above only and never beneath!

However, knowledge of the truth is your ticket to freedom. When you know your covenant rights, no devil can enslave you or keep you in bondage.

This is why we need to constantly upgrade our mindset through God’s Word. When you know the truth you shall be set free. When you know your spiritual rights, you will confidently rebel against every oppression and claim what belongs to you by covenant.

Today being the last day of the month, it is a good place to declare an end to every form of bondage. Especially amidst the present global challenge, you need to declare your freedom from fear. You cannot be a slave to fear, because you are a child of God! Indeed you are the child of the king and therefore your case is different. You are too defended to be a victim.

And as the month ends today, let us also deliberately take time to thank God for His abundant grace and many mercies.  Indeed God has been good to us and for this, we bless His Holy Name for ever.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to break free from every form of bondage and oppression through the understanding of my covenant rights. I especially thank You Lord for successfully bringing me to the end of this month in Jesus Name.

Quote :

For you to enjoy victory in the Kingdom of God, you need to develop a Kingdom mindset, that thinks in line with the Word of God.  – WORDBITE 222.

John 11:25-26 ‘Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.’

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

Pastor Phodidas—whose name means, “I worship the Lord”— showed a dedication to God’s Word, from a young age. As a student in Rwanda, he preached the morning devotionals at his school each day. Over the years, as he studied his Bible, he colorfully highlighted numerous verses. Little did he realize, how that marked Bible would help to save his life during the horrific Rwandan genocide in 1994.

After being captured, he was asked by the killers to dig his own grave. As he was digging, Phodidas began to pray “Lord, I believe you can deliver me. You can protect me from being killed by these people.’ He went on to remind God of how He had delivered Daniel in the lion’s den, and also the three Hebrew boys from the fiery furnace. And he believed God would do the same for him.

As he was digging, one of the killers picked up his Bible and began to question him about the colorful markings. Phodidas explained that they were his favorite verses. The man marveled at how he could have read so many highlighted verses. Somehow it seemed the man’s heart softened towards him and he offered to help Phodidas dig the grave. After the grave was dug, the killers decided to bury someone else there and asked him to dig another one.

Phodidas then told them that he would like to preach to them before they killed him. After much argument the men allowed him to speak. As he began speaking, the Holy Spirit began to prick their hearts and some of the killers began crying. Thereafter they decided not to kill him anymore and so they let him go scot free.

Today, Dr. Phodidas Ndamyumugabe is a professor at the Adventist University of Central Africa (AUCA) in Kigali and his story is captured in his book ‘Rwanda: Beyond Wildest Imagination’.

Jesus speaking in John 11:26 said ‘And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.’

Indeed faith in God can deliver from death. This pastor would have died, if not for faith built up in God through years of studying his Bible. Even when death seemed eminent, his heart continued to hold on to God in faith. In the end God showed up and delivered him miraculously.

The truth is that God’s hand is not shortened that He cannot save, but we need to know how to engage His hand to fight for us. It takes faith to move God on our behalf, and faith comes from hearing the Word of God. Indeed for any believer who would survive and thrive in these end-times, a working knowledge of God’s Word is quite crucial.

Hosea 4: 6 says ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee..’

If we are not to perish, then we must go for knowledge of God’s Word. The most important investment anyone can make is towards acquiring spiritual knowledge. That is the control room of life. If you don’t know how to operate spiritually, you may become the grass that suffers when elephants fight. We are in the era of fierce spiritual battles, and it is dangerous for any soldier to be in the battlefield without adequate knowledge and skill in the use of his weapons. The era of spiritual docility is over. The end-times are perilous times. The Bible likens it to the days of Noah when there was great violence on the earth. Today there is great spiritual violence on the earth, therefore no believer can afford to remain a spiritual weakling..

Understand that the devil is not playing with you, he is on an all-out mission to kill, steal and destroy, he is going about as a roaring lion looking for whom to devour, therefore we must remain full of faith and battle ready.

Especially at this time, faith in the Blood of Jesus is essential. The Blood of Jesus is a spiritual weapon of warfare that the enemy has no defense against. Each time we invoke the Blood we render all demonic oppressions in the environment powerless. Let us therefore constantly plead the Blood of Jesus over our household as a divine shield of protection around us. Indeed through the Blood, we abide under the shadow of the Almighty, where no plague or pestilence can come near us.

PRAYER: Lord, please grant me the grace to continually build up my faith through in-depth study of Your Word. I thank You Lord, for faith in the Blood of Jesus to protect me and my family from every evil of these end-times in Jesus Name.

Quote

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

Romans 12:2  “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”

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

Nigel Benn, during the prime of his boxing career, was known as the ‘Dark Destroyer’. This was because of his fearsome punching power and aggressive fighting style. He drank heavily, took illegal drugs and was vicious in his fights; famously describing himself as the devil’s right hand man.

He became the WBC and WBO super middleweight champion and was ranked as one of the greatest British boxers of all time, with a record of 42 wins from 48 fights.

However, after winning a brutal fight, which left his opponent American boxer Gerald McClellan with brain damage, Benn went through a troubled period in his life.  He left boxing not long afterwards and suffered from depression and even attempted suicide one night in his car.

The turning point came for Benn, when his family travelled to Australia. There he began attending Hillsong Church, where he eventually gave his life to Christ and became born again. From that moment, he was totally free from all his addictions.  Soon after, he spent one full year in solitude, studying the Bible day and night, renewing his mind in Christ. As a result, his life became completely transformed and today he is an entirely new person. He has attended Bible college and now serves as an active volunteer in the Hillsong Church. He also spends his time sharing his Christian faith around the world.

Indeed The Word of God is able to transform anyone. The Word changed Nigel Benn from being ‘a dark destroyer’ to becoming a carrier of God’s light.

The Word has power to illuminate us to dominate over any dark nature, and  transform us to become more like Christ.

Romans 12:2  says “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”

The Greek word translated “renewed” is the verb “Anakainoo,” and it means a qualitative difference. It’s a word that describes a keyword in 2 Corinthians 3:18 which says “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Through looking into God’s we are changed from glory to glory. It doesn’t matter the negative habits or sin, anyone may be struggling with, God’s Word is able to bring total deliverance. God’s Word is the light that shines in darkness and the darkness cannot comprehend it.

And today we need to continually shine that light into our hearts. We are at a time when it is of utmost importance that we continually look inward to check our hearts. We cannot afford to be caught unprepared by the coming of Christ. We have had enough signs and enough warnings. We therefore need to do all we can to keep aligning ourselves to God’s will. The truth is that if you are not being transformed by the Word, then you are already conforming to the world. If you spend majority of your time on wordly and mundane things, and spend less time in God’s Word, then you are going to start thinking like the rest of the world. And don’t forget, as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

No matter our spiritual level, we need to keep growing into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Personal transformation is a continuous process which involves consistent upgrade of our mindset. Through taking heed to God’s Word our ways can be cleansed and our lives become pleasing to God.

Psalm 119:9-12 says “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes.”

Indeed through God’s Word, we can be continually sanctified and live holy and ready for the soon coming of Christ!

PRAYER: Lord, please enable me to constantly renew my mind through consistent study of Your Word. Please take away from me every distractions of these end-times and enable my life to always be pleasing to You in Jesus Name.

Quote

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

Isaiah 14:27  ‘For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?’

DAILY READING; • John 6:1-21; 1 Chronicles 22:2-23:32; Zechariah 9

Fred Hammond is an award winning, Gospel singer and record producer.

In 2011, while on ‘The Donnie McClurkin Show’, he shared a powerful story of how God divinely protected him, even after his mother had an abortion procedure that should have killed him. He said his mother only revealed this story to him just before her death, when he was 47 years old.

Tearfully, Fred’s mother had told him of how after making the mistake of having an unwanted pregnancy, she had gone to a clinic to get an abortion. After the doctors had done the abortion, there was blood and she was told to go home, and expect the remains of the baby to flow out. However, when she got home, nothing flowed out as the doctors had said. So after three days, she went back to the Clinic. They checked her again and surprisingly found out that the baby was still in there. So she was asked to lie down again so that they could properly evacuate the baby this time.  But as she laid down and they got their tools to destroy the baby, she said she suddenly had a strange feeling as if God was going to kill her. And without any explanation to the doctors, she just jumped up, and ran out of the clinic.

After that, she carried the pregnancy to full term and gave birth to Fred.

Fred Hammond, concluding the story, said “At the end of the day when I was supposed to be discarded and the tools came in to kill me, to crush my head, the Lord took his hand, and pushed me back out of the way.  And they thought they got me. But at the end of the day God had a plan for a broken situation.”

Indeed God’s plan for Fred Hammond is manifest today, as he has become a generational Gospel music icon and a great blessing to many people globally.

Isaiah 14:27 says ‘For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?’

Indeed God’s divine purpose for you no one can thwart. The truth is that the enemy doesn’t fight you for where you are, he fights you for where you’re going. Some of the fights you are facing now, is because of what is in your destiny. However, God’s divine purpose for you is sure. No man has the power to abort it as long as you remain connected to God.

Despite the instruments of the wicked that try to abort your purpose, God will keep you hidden, where no harm can touch you. The enemy may try his utmost best to stop you, but understand that your life is hid in Christ in God. [Colossians 3:3]. Indeed your life and times are only in God’s hands.

We must therefore ignore oppositions and focus on fulfilling God’s divine purpose for us. God has brought each of us into His kingdom for such a time as this to fulfill a definite part of His overall plan. From Joel chapter 2, we understand that the end-time generation of believers are born to do exploits. The truth is that God has saved the best for the last, and every believer existing at this time is especially equipped for signs and wonders. You are not ordinary. Therefore never underrate yourself, you are a carrier of a glorious destiny and you have especially been packaged from Heaven and sent into the earth at this time. All the battle against you has been an attempt to abort that divine purpose within you. Yet despite all, God continues to protect and preserve you.

God has kept you alive to fulfill the great destiny He has placed within you. However, you must decide if you are going to bless the world or rob it of the exploits God has purposed through you.

Therefore you can no longer afford to ‘play church’ or pursue vain glory. You must pursue purpose and stay focused. And to fulfill purpose you must stay committed to God’s Word.

It is through the faith and strength that comes from God’s Word that we can accomplish His will for us. Of our own selves we can do nothing, but through Christ we can do all things. Indeed it is God that works in us, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

And as we follow His divine purpose, God will protect us and strategically orchestrate our steps, and we are going to see Ephesians 3:20: “Exceedingly abundantly above and beyond all we could ask think or imagine”.

PRAYER

Lord, Please help me to corporate with Your plans and purpose for me through walking in line with Your Word. I know that as long as I am obedient to Your Word, no weapon formed against me shall ever prosper 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

Luke 4:18-19 ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.’

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

The Eskimos live among the coldest regions of the earth. And due to living in earth’s  harshest regions, they are today among the world’s greatest experts in dealing with deep cold environment . One way the Eskimos survive and thrive in the earth’s most challenging environment is by wearing traditional native clothing which are often warm and waterproof in extreme winter conditions.  Long before the arrival of Euro-Americans, Eskimos had already perfected some of the world’s warmest clothing.

Most Eskimo clothing are made from animal furs, the same materials that keep animals warm in the far northern climate. Caribou fur, for example, consists of densely packed hollow hairs that trap the air and super-insulate the animal. A person who wears clothing made from caribou fur, borrows this same advantage from the animal.

Ancestral native Eskimo people invented the parka—a jacket with an attached hood that gives unexcelled protection from cold and wind. Today, parkas are manufactured all over the world using all sorts of modern materials.

Once warmly dressed, Eskimos can be out for days, unharmed,  in temperatures far below zero. Indeed living in the world’s coldest regions, has made it crucially important for Eskimos to constantly remain warmly dressed, this way they maintain body warmth, and are able to survive.

Today, the world is a spiritually cold environment. And for believers, the key to surviving the spiritual polar climate of the world is by staying warmly covered. Just like the Eskimos wear warm clothing, spiritually we need the warm covering of The Spirit to survive. Indeed the world lies in evil and wickedness, and  we need the Presence of The Spirit constantly surrounding us to keep the spiritual coldness from gripping our hearts.

To walk around without spiritual covering is dangerous,  it can result in injury or even death.  Therefore we constantly need the fire of The Spirit around us, surrounding us as a spiritual shield all the time.

Romans 12:11 tells us to be “fervent in spirit..’

The Greek word for fervent,  is ‘zeo’, which means “to boil with heat.”

When we are constantly generating heat in the spirit, through prayer and  study of the Word, we become  too hot for any devil to handle. We truly need to stay on fire for God, especially in these endtimes.

Originally from creation, it is God’s intention that we be covered continually by His Spirit, which is the covering of glory. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were covered by God’s glory, this was why they could be naked and not be ashamed. It was when this covering departed, after they had sinned, that their suffering began.

Today as believers, it is God’s plan that we be covered by His Spirit. It is through the covering of The Spirit, that we are protected from the evil in the world.

Matthew 24:12 tells us that in the end-times, because iniquity shall abound, many people’s love for God will wax cold.

We therefore need to constantly guard our hearts from growing cold towards the things of God. And this we do through fasting, fervent prayers, study of God’s Word and intimate worship and fellowship with The Holy Spirit. As we do these things, we will constantly dwell in the secret place of The most high and abide under the shadow of The Almighty. Indeed when The Lord becomes our refuge, we become completely inaccessible to every evil.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to remain always spiritually fervent and on fire for You. I thank You Lord, for keeping me in Your secret place; surely under Your shadow I am completely protected from all harm 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.

Matthew 5:16 ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven’.

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

The Welsh Revival was one of the greatest Holy Spirit outpourings in the history of Christianity. A young minister of the Gospel, named Evan Roberts, who yielded himself to God was used mightily in this revival.

Evan Roberts grew up in a coal mining community and quit school to become a coal miner at the age of twelve. At thirteen years old, Evan Roberts received Christ as his Savior. From the beginning he was extraordinarily sensitive to spiritual things.

Despite his tiresome work in the coal mine, he attended every prayer meeting, youth meeting, or any other meeting held in the church. This involved him being at church six out of the seven days of the week. This he did consistently throughout his teen years.

After reading about some of the great revivals that had occurred in the history of the Church, he became obsessed with this subject. As he prayed and fasted and studied the Word, God began to move in his life. During the spring of 1904, he was repeatedly awakened at 1:00 a.m. He would fellowship with God until 5:00 a.m. This continued every night for the next three months, as God revealed Himself in dramatic fashion to this Welsh young man, preparing him for the great calling that lay ahead.

Then in November of 1904, the Welsh revival broke forth, this spiritual revolution spearheaded by Evan Roberts greatly affected Britain. The revival like a hurricane, swept through the landscape unlike anything ever seen before in the nation.

The Presence of God was so tangible that even before Evan arrived to preach, the people would begin to sense God’s powerful Presence filling the chapel.

And as Evans preached, with breathless silence and rapt attention the people would listen as he spoke about holiness before a Holy God, absolute obedience, and total trust in God. He always turned the people’s focus to God.

The deep spiritual hunger that arose afterwards among the people virtually brought social activities to a halt. National sports were deserted, theaters were emptied; pubs closed and crime rate dropped drastically. In fact the whole nation virtually turned to God, seeking His face like never before.

Leviticus 6:12 says ‘ the fire on the altar must be kept burning; it shall never go out.”

Just like the fire that swept through Britain, we need the revival Fire of the Holy Ghost burning upon our lives today more than ever before. Nothing can burn up the spiritual coldness in the world, and bring healing and deliverance to men, as the Fresh Fire of the Holy Ghost.

The truth is that God has called us to shine as lights in our world. Especially with the state of things in the world today, our light is needed more than ever before.

Jesus said no one lights a candle and hides it under a bushel, but sets it up on a candlestick to give light to all that in the house.

Our lights are not to be hidden at this time. In whatever environment we are, our lights are meant to give light to all that in that place. In generations past, there were great men and women of God, as Evan Roberts, who went in as agents of God to affect the world around them. In the midst of wicked nations they brought about positive changes, by letting their lights shine brightly, so that men saw their good works and glorified God.

And in our generation today, we are embodiment of Christ’s light! And as lights, we are intended to illuminate our world and give light to others. . Especially at this turbulent time, as the world battles a global pandemic, we need to let our lights shine before men. We need to fervently stand in the place of intercession, overturning the plans of the wicked and ensuring a positive change in the world around us. Indeed intercessors are facilitators of divine intervention.

Light shines brightest in the darkness and this is the time for us as believers to begin to shine and make definite impacts. In these end-times, we really need to keep our fire burning and let our lights shine brightly.

However, for us to keep the fire on the altar of our hearts burning, we need to commit to constant study of God’s Word. What wood is to fire is what the Word of God is to the Anointing upon our lives. Anytime we stop putting in the wood, the fire is bound to go out. No Word; no Anointing! So to always maintain the fire of the Holy Ghost, we must constantly engage the Word of God. Indeed the more we stay in the Word, the more anointed and on fire, we will become!

PRAYER: Lord, I am available, please use me in this generation to affect my world positively. Especially in these end-times, let my light so shine before men that many souls may be brought into Your kingdom in Jesus Name.

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There is something that God has placed within you that the world is eagerly awaiting to see. WORDBITE 222

Isaiah 31: 4-5  ‘….so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof. As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.’

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

David Brainerd was known as “The apostle to the Indians.” He served as a missionary to the Indians from 1739 to 1747. During the course of his ministry he kept a diary which recorded some of the remarkable things that happened to him. One of these events was God’s amazing divine protection over him, on his first night, when he went to minister to the Indians.

After three years of study at Yale Divinity School, Brainerd made his way to the Indians in Kaunaumeek, New York. This tribe of Indians were particularly ferocious, living in the dense forests of Delaware.  David arrived near their camp late one evening and decided to spend the night in the woods before introducing himself the next morning. He didn’t realize that several of the Indian men had earlier noticed him and had been following him for hours. These scouts then went back to their camp and reported to the chief of the stranger in their midst.

That night, the Indians planned to kill this white man because, up until then, the white man had brought them nothing but grief. However that night as the warriors silently drew near Brainerd’s camp, what they saw was an image they would see many more times in the coming years … Brainerd was on his knees praying for them. According to their report, while he prayed a rattlesnake squirmed up to him, lifted its head, flicks its forked tongue close to his face, and then, for no apparent reason, glided away into the darkness.

This made the chief and the warriors nervous and instead of killing him they returned to their campsite.

When the young missionary entered the Indian village early the next morning, he received a much more cordial welcome than he had anticipated. It wasn’t until later that he learned of the strange events of the preceding night.

Realizing that he must possess a higher power, these Indians were open to receive his message, and many of them eventually gave their lives to Christ.

Brainerd had no idea of how God protected him from the snake until the Indians told him about it.

Indeed there are hidden battles which God fights for us, which we may never know about until we get to Heaven. There have been times the enemy set traps and nets for our feet, but yet in the nick of time, God pulled us out of it. There have been times we found ourselves in tight places, and when it seemed there was no way out, somehow, God showed up and made a way for us.

God’s protection around us is real. This is why we do not have to fret or worry about what may be happening in the world. Let us always remember that God is watching over us, and He never sleeps nor slumbers. This is why we should concern ourselves more with drawing closer to God, knowing that He is able to deliver those that put their trust in Him.

Isaiah 31: 4-5 says ‘….so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof. As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.’

Indeed God is committed to our defense and deliverance. He will fight for us, He will protect us. Therefore rather than fret, let us always give Him worthy praise.

Indeed if it had not been for the Lord on our side, where would we be? When we recall the goodness of The Lord and all He does for us; the miracles, deliverances, provisions etc, then we truly should be grateful. Thanksgiving should be a daily lifestyle. Indeed God has been good to us.

We do not have to wait before something major happens before we remember to pray or give thanks. Life itself is a daily miracle.

That we can sleep and wake up is a big miracle. Each morning you woke up always remember that it was The Lord that woke you up and not your alarm clock. And if He woke you up this morning it is because He has not yet finished with you, there is still so much He has in store for you. Let us therefore always remain thankful to God for His faithfulness to us. Indeed God is always good and His mercies endure forever.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to be always grateful for all Your goodness in my life. Please grant me the grace not to fret or worry, but rather to strengthen my heart in faith, through constant study of Your Word in Jesus Name

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When you obey God’s instruction you are delivered from destruction WORDBITE 222