HORM Devotional

‘Ephesians 2:6-7
‘And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

• DAILY READING – 1 Thessalonians 1; Isaiah 11-13; Psalm 112

On 26 January 1972 Vesna Vulović was working as an air hostess on a Serbian flight, when their plane exploded. Terrorists had left a briefcase bomb in the plane which caused the explosion. The plane crashed near Czechoslovakia, Killing the other 27 passengers and crew.. Vesna was the sole survivor of the crash. She had survived a fall of 33,330 ft to the ground. According to the Guinness world record, it was the highest fall anyone had ever survived without a parachute.
.Despite her numerous injuries that left her temporarily paralyzed, within ten months, Vesna was back on her feet and had resumed working.
After the crash, she gave a lot of thought to her survival and realized that only God could have saved her. Though previously she had been unserious about her faith, but after the accident, new faith in God, was ignited in her. She realized that she shouldn’t have survived, yet God in His mercy had delivered her.

Her story is a reflection of how God’s kindness can show up unexpectedly, even when we don’t deserve it.

Ephesians 2:6-7 says
‘And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

We have all experienced God’s undeserved, unearned, unexplainable goodness in our lives, at some point or the other. God’s constant dealing with us shows His goodness towards us. Even our salvation is a reflection of God’s mercy and goodness, because while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. We were completely unworthy of His goodness, yet, in our sinful condition He was willing to show us mercy. And now as believers in Christ, God is set to do even greater and mightier things for us.

Romans 8:32 says ‘He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?’

God desires to bless us beyond all expectations. The truth is that God wants to manifest His goodness through the amazing happenings in our lives.

It is God’s plan to manifest His glory through us and make us a showpiece to our world this year. It is His will to take us to the topmost top in life
However we must be willing to cooperate with The Holy Spirit as He guides us into the great goodness and mercy God has in store for us.
No one can make it in life without God’s grace and mercy.. Indeed by strength shall no man prevail. Let us therefore endeavor to go deeper in our relationship with The Holy Spirit. He is the One that reveals and guides us into the good things God has for us.
God has plans to put you in positions you didn’t earn, nor qualified for.
You may have struggled in the area of your health, your finances, or your relationships, but you need to get ready for the surpassing goodness of God. He is about to do an inexplicable miracle that will turn things around for you. Indeed this year the glory of God shall be seen all over us and that will happen as we submit to the help and guidance of The Holy Spirit through prayers, diligent study of God’s Word and intimate fellowship with Him. May God indeed richly grant us the grace and strength to overcome every spiritual laxity and go deeper in our walk with the Jesus.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for the glorious and great things You are set to do in my life this year. Thank You for the exceeding great manifestation of Your goodness all around me in Jesus Name. ..

QUOTE

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

Psalm 119:89 ;For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.’

DAILY READING • – Acts 10, Joshua 9-10, Job 25

The Bible is the oldest book known to man, yet mysteriously also, it is the greatest best seller of all ages and the most sold book of all times. It is also the most translated book on earth. However through the ages, the enemy has viciously fought the translation and availability of The Bible to the common man. In fact, many of those who translated the Bible into simple languages paid dearly with their own lives. One of those who paid dearly for translating the Bible was John Hus. He was a catholic priest who lived in the 14th century. His life had a dramatic change when he began to translate some of the sermons of John Wycliffe into the Bohemian language. These sermons moved him to cry out for reform in the Church, and a return to the authority of the Scriptures as the sole source of faith and doctrine for the Christian. For this, he at once was branded a heretic, excommunicated, and his writings were suppressed. He found refuge outside of the city, where he continued to preach, write, and study. He categorically stated in no uncertain terms that Christ is the only Head of the church. In 1414 he was arrested , given a mock trial without the benefit of an advocate, and condemned to death as a heretic. He was kept in prison for seven months before he was brought forth to be burned. As Hus stood before the stake he said, “In the truth of the Gospel which I have written, taught, and preached, I die willingly and joyfully today.” Then the fire was kindled, and as the red tongues of flame driven by the wind, rose high around the body of the martyr, Hus sang, “Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, have mercy on me.”

John Hus was killed for making the Bible easily available. Besides John Hus, other Bible translators as Wycliffe, and Tyndale had also paid with their lives. And it is because of these men that we can have free access to the Bible today.

Having the Bible so easily available, let us always remember the great price that has been paid for it to be so. We must therefore value the precious gift The Bible is to humanity. It is The very Word of God existing among us. The Bible is the only book which contains the actual words of God. More than 3,000 times in the Bible you will find “thus saith the Lord’, with the very words of God written down. This is God’s direct communication to humanity. This is God speaking to us.

This is why you should approach the Bible with reverence, knowing it contains the living Word of The Living God. These are words that can transform you..

When you begin to develop a culture of total regard for the Word, The Spirit of the Word will open up its content to you with depth of revelations you never imagined. It will be the road map to your glorious destination, it will take you to heights you never imagined. Let us Therefore, begin to approach The Bible with a renewed sense of value and appreciation for this great gift God has given to humanity.

PRAYER: Lord, Your Word is unchanging, and true. As I study Your Word, please help me to be transformed daily into the image of Christ, I know by the power in Your Word I can indeed do all things through Christ that strengthens me, in Jesus Name.

QUOTE

Reading The Bible gives you over view, Studying it takes you to depths. – WORDBITE 222.

2 Corinthians 4:17 ‘For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.’

DAILY READING –• Acts 10:1-33; Joshua 7-8; Job 24

The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world, and the third largest desert behind the Antarctic and the Arctic, which are both cold deserts. The Sahara is one of the harshest environments on Earth. This enormous desert spans 11 countries and covers 3.6 million square miles, which is nearly a third of the African continent.

It has one of the world’s most severe climates. Typically, the Sahara landscape experiences extremely limited to virtually no rainfall, Across the desert, the annual average rainfall equals no more than a few inches or less. In some areas, no rain at all may fall in the desert for several years. The prevailing wind, which blows from the northeast toward the equator throughout the year, accounts for the desert’s aridity.

It is however interesting that as dry as the Sahara is, it is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west, the Red Sea on the east, the Mediterranean Sea on the north and the Sahel Savannah on the south.

It is indeed remarkable that though surrounded by these great bodies of water, the Sahara still remains a very dry land. Spiritually, this can also be the case sometimes with some of us.
A person can be in the middle of a revival and yet not be revived.. It is not enough to be in an environment of revival, we must strive to be partakers and not mere spectators.
In many sports, though the spectators are always more than the players, it is only the players that get rewarded in the end.. Therefore make up your mind this year not to watch things pass you by.
There is a participation required for you to get rewarded.
To see God’s glory revealed in our lives, we must be individually willing to press into it. Everything of value has a cost. For every new height, there is a new price to pay. For every desire there are corresponding demands.

2 Corinthians 4:17 says, ‘For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.’

Glory is not accidental. If you do nothing, you will see nothing.
May we therefore receive the grace to do our best now so as to position ourselves to be partakers of the coming glory..
Already the race for this year has begun. The whistle has been blown. But what you do now is what will determine how you will end the year. Do you see yourself at the end of this year in a multiplied form? Then now is the time to pay the price. Be prepared to seek God in a new and greater dimension. Decide to increase your time spent in God’s Word, in prayers, and in service to God’s kingdom. Make a greater commitment to live holy, to walk in purity and in power. But most importantly, remain thankful.
We are where we are today only because of the grace of God. And we can only get to where we are going by His grace.
So as we take spiritual responsibility to pay the price for glory, let us also remain thankful to God for His divine Help and grace to adequately run the race before us.
PRAYER
Lord, please grant me the grace to run the race set before me. Please enable me to become more spiritually fervent and to be fully revived in order to see Your glory manifested in every area of my life in Jesus’ name.

QUOTE
Faith is more than just believing. It is acting upon the Word that you believe. WORDBITE 222

Hosea 6:2 ‘After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight.’

DAILY READING – Acts 9:26-43; Joshua 5:2-6:27; Job 23

Aimee Semple Mcpherson, founder of the Foursquare Gospel Church, was one of the greatest female evangelists ever used by God. In 1908 at the age of 17, she married a Scottish evangelist, Robert Semple and followed him to China as a missionary. Sadly, he died soon after arriving in China, leaving Aimee pregnant and penniless. After the birth of her child, Aimee’s mother had to send her money to travel back to the U.S. With all that had happened to her, Aimee became disillusioned and for months afterwards her spiritual life declined.
Later, Aimee remarried and tried to live the life of a normal housewife, but she continued to hear the call of God. Though she knew God expected more from her, she tried hard to ignore the call. However, in 1913; at 23 years old, she became ill and was rushed to the hospital with appendicitis. While at the hospital, her condition continued to deteriorate until a hospital attendant came to move her into a room set apart for the dying. She struggled to breathe as she heard a nurse say, “She’s going.” But then also Aimee heard another voice, a Heavenly voice saying :”Now will you go?” She understood it to be God asking her to choose between going into eternity or going into ministry. At that point she yielded to fully serve God in the ministry. As soon as she made the choice, instantly, her pain was gone, her breathing eased, and she soon regained her strength.
And so began Aimee’s ministry. Within a decade, she became an American phenomenon. During the 1920s her name appeared on the front page of America’s leading newspapers three times a week. Today, historians consider her one of the most significant revivalists of the early twentieth century.
Hosea 6:2 says ‘After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight.’
God is able to bring us up from any depth of spiritual decadence to manifest His glory through us. Though Aimee was at the point of both spiritual and physical death God revived her to manifest His glory.
This is why we should never write off ourselves. No matter the situation, God is still able to revive us and use us for His glory.
Our decision to serve God is a determinant of the level of His glory we can see. The truth is that sometimes the reason why things are not working could be because we are not working for God. Your experience in life is not about your circumstances, it is basically about your covenant positioning.
Kingdom service attracts the Blessings of God; it is when we serve God that He blesses our bread and water and takes away sicknesses from us. (Ex. 23:25)
Job 36:11 says -” If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures”.
We may not have a dramatic encounter before choosing to serve God as Aimee did, but the point remains that each of us have a divine call upon our lives. A servant of God is not necessarily someone in full time ministry but someone in full time obedience to God and His Word.
As this year begins we need to re-examine our hearts to see if we are truly living for God or living for self. To see God’s glory this year, we must purpose to pay the required price of spiritual responsibility. Indeed God will not be mocked, whatsoever a man sows that shall he reap.
When you genuinely love God, you want to spend and be spent for God. And you can’t give yourself wholly and not experience God fully. Indeed you can’t be truly sold out to God and not stand out on the earth.
This year, service to God must be our distinguishing identity because that will be the pathway to see God’s glory unleashed in our lives.
PRAYER
Father, I come before You today to receive the grace to serve You. Please help me to do what is spiritually required of me in order to see Your glory manifested fully in my life throughout this year in Jesus’ Name
Quote
It takes a heart for God to make a mark in the sands of time. – WORDBITE 201

1 John 4:4 ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world’

• DAILY READING -Acts 9:1-25; Joshua 3:1-5:1; Job 22

The temple mount located in Jerusalem was originally Mount Moriah, the site of Abraham’s attempted sacrifice of Isaac. Upon this mount the first two Jewish temples were built. This region is today the holiest site of the Jews, and that is mainly because the Jewish Rabbis still believe that the presence of God which dwelt in the old Jewish temples still dwells in this area that used to contain the Holy of Holies.
As a result, the Rabbis placed a ban on free access of Jews to the region, their reason being that they feared any Jew entering the area ran the grave risk of inadvertently treading on the sacred ground of the Holy of Holies, which only the high priest was permitted to enter — and only once a year with blood.
In the past century, prominent Jews such as Sir Moses Montefiore and Baron Edmond de Rothschild who visited the temple mount had to be carried across the site by Muslims in order not to mistakenly set foot on the holy of holies.
And today, while Muslims are free to pray regularly on the temple mount, which is their third holiest site after Mecca and Medina, Jews have limited access to this area. This situation has sparked an ongoing debate in Israel. While some people support the prohibition by the Rabbis, there are also those in Israel who do not see any wrongdoing in Jews entering the temple mount. However, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel still upholds the ban on Jewish access to the zone which contained the Holy of Holies.
Indeed, the Holy of Holies in the temple had been where the presence of God dwelt. The Holy of Holies was separated from the Holy Place with a thick curtain: 40 feet long, 20 feet high, and 4 inches thick. But after Jesus cried “It is finished” on the cross and gave up the ghost, the thick curtain was rent from the top to the bottom and the Holy of Holies was open, indicating the restriction to God’s presence has been removed.
Prior to that day, only the High Priest could enter the presence of God, and once a year with blood; but Jesus made the final and permanent sacrifice that gave us access to God’s presence. Now today, the presence of God is no longer restricted to the temple but in-dwells us as believers. Our body is God’s mobile temple, carrying His presence wherever we go. What this means is that we have what it takes to be in dominion and to be more than conquerors wherever we go. We are carrying the Almighty, all-powerful, all-knowing God within us.
1 John 4:4 says, ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’
Salvation has positioned us to be winners. Because of God’s indwelling presence, we have all it takes to dominate the world around us. Through the blood, we have been made limitless. Christ has given us all that pertains to life and godliness; Every barrier has been broken and we are free to become all that God has ordained for us to become.
Today is the first day of 2020 and 365 days lie before us this year as an open cheque. The question is: what are we going to do with them? There is so much God expects from us this year. It is not just about our personal desires; it is all about fulfilling Heaven’s mandate. Basically, we have no reason to fail this year. You must have a superiority mentality towards every challenge. You are born to win. You are the head and not the tail. You are above only and never beneath. The Greater One lives in you. You may be challenged but you are not permitted to be defeated. It is indeed your year to see beauty for ashes. It is your year of double portion, of divine speed and strange favours.
The year will answer what you call it. The year will obey you as you command it. You are the prophet over your life. It is time, therefore, to begin to declare what you want the year to become for you. Do not just watch things. What you say is what you will see. On this first day, take charge and begin to make bold declarations. No pain of yesterday is permitted to cross over into the new year. The Egyptians you saw yesterday, you shall see no more. You are more than a conqueror. You are indeed the all-round winner in every area of life. It is your time! It is your year! Welcome to your winning season!
PRAYER: Lord, I bless You for bringing me into this new year. I know You have great and mighty things in store for me. Please grant me the grace to take spiritual responsibility to position myself to experience a full manifestation of the glory You have ordained for me this year in Jesus’ name.
QUOTE
When God is on your side, anything is possible. WORDBITE 222

Psalm 150:4-6 ‘Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.’

DAILY READING Acts 8:26-40; Joshua 1-2; Job 21

On October 14, 1912, just after eight o’clock in the evening, former American President, Theodore Roosevelt, stepped out of a hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, into an open car waiting to take him to an auditorium where he would deliver a campaign speech. Roosevelt had prepared a 50-page diatribe that he aimed to deliver to a waiting audience. Roosevelt was wearing his Army overcoat, and before heading out, he decided on a whim to fold up the 50-page speech and place it in his breast-pocket where he had also tucked the casing of his metal spectacles. It was a small decision that soon saved his life. While he was standing addressing the crowd, an assailant shot Roosevelt in the chest, but the bullet was greatly slowed by the massive hunk of paper in his pocket along with the casing of his glasses. The bullet didn’t cause him any major damage as he still got up on the stage that evening and delivered his rousing speech.
Though the decision to put the thick papers of the speech in his breast-pocket had seemed a random one, somehow it had been divinely arranged to save his life from an assassin’s bullet.
Like Roosevelt, in the course of this year there have been such seemingly inconsequential decisions that we might have taken without knowing they could have saved our lives or the lives of our family members. It could be taking another route that made us miss an accident, or changing our travel schedule.. It could be a decision not to eat a certain food, or not to go to a certain place, or not to be involved in a certain business, or relationship etc.
Somehow in those small decisions, God has been present, constantly steering us and our family away from danger and enabling us to walk in His will. These, amongst many, are reasons why we should look back and bless God for this year as it comes to an end today. Indeed, if we can think, we can thank.
We cannot possibly know all the details of God’s goodness, but for every of His blessings, known or unknown, great or small, we lift our voice today to say ‘thank You Lord’!

God deserves our every praise. For a man can receive nothing except it be given him from above, and by strength shall no man prevail. And as we give God thanks for His blessings this year, we will see yet greater blessings in the coming year.
Though we may not know what the new year holds, we are thankful that we know the One who holds the year. This is why we should be anxious for nothing, but  rather continually offer God thanks in anticipation of the great and mighty things He will yet do.
Gratitude is a spiritual force that empowers us for higher altitudes. You can’t change to a higher level without it. Thanksgiving is the mystery behind a sudden change of story.  Genuine, heartfelt thanksgiving brings us in contact with Heaven’s wonders that births inexplicable miracles in our lives. Indeed thanksgiving paves the way for a miraculous new season . Every time we offer genuine thanks, fresh oil for fresh impact comes upon us. And with this fresh anointing, we are guaranteed to scale unusual heights and become all-round winners.
Truly God deserves every of our ptaise. And as we draw the curtain on this year, with every breath, with every strength, with every life, with everything in us, we lift our voice to genuinely say, ‘Thank You Jesus!’

PRAYER: Lord, I just want to genuinely thank You for bringing me to the end of this year. I’m truly grateful for all Your faithfulness and goodness in my life and in the life of my family. I return all the praise, worship, honor and adoration to You now and forever in Jesus’ Name.

QUOTE
Everything that ultimately has a glorious ending usually has a humble beginning.
WORDBITE 222

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

DAILY READING Acts 8:1-25; Deuteronomy 33-34; Job 20

The biggest comeback game in the history of America’s National football league [NFL], took place in November 1993. It was the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Oilers. In the first half of this game, the Houston Oilers were leading with 28 points while the Buffalo Bills had only 3 points. By the second half, things got even worse for the Buffalo Bills when the Houston Oilers’ score rose to 35 points while theirs still remained at 3 points. At this time, many Buffalo Bills fans, convinced the game was lost, sadly headed home.
However, things miraculously began to change. In a span of only 6 minutes and 52 seconds, Frank Reich, who played quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, scored points that helped his team to drastically cut down the gap to just 4 points. Then shortly after, the Buffalo Bills not only equalized, but also went ahead to win the game with 41 points while the Houston Oilers had 38 points. Frank Reich who was instrumental to this victory, was wildly celebrated for his amazing last-minute scoring that became the game changer.
During the post-game press conference, as journalists began to fire questions at Frank, he just said, ‘Before you ask me any questions, I want to share the lyrics to a song that has inspired me.’ Then he read the lyrics to ‘In Christ Alone,’ part of which says, ‘In Christ alone will I glory, though I could pride myself in battles won, for I have been blessed beyond measure, and by His strength alone I overcome.’
Frank, who is a Christian, said he had basically listened to this song, every free second for about four days straight, before the game. And during the game when their score was down, he had relied on Christ alone to help his team win.

Indeed through Christ alone we can do all things. And as the year draws to a close, most likely, many of us will be looking at our score cards. In our own estimation, we may have scored well or perhaps scored poorly. However in God’s own estimation that may not really matter because there are greater things ahead. Brace up yourself, because there is coming a game change!
Philippians 3:13-14 says ‘But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.’
It doesn’t matter your scores, with total reliance on Christ alone, everything can change for the better. However, the truth is that life does not give you what you deserve but what you demand. You have to decide for yourself that 2020 must become your turning-point year. Decide there will be no more room for explanation, but only manifestation. And for that to happen, you must give yourself to serious spiritual preparation.
2 Chronicles 27:6 says, ‘So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.’
Preparation is the fundamental key in the school of success. You either prepare to succeed or subscribe to regret. Proper preparation prevents poor performance.
Preparation means being ready for the opportunities ahead that will launch you into your next level. God will be bringing things your way in 2020 that, if you are not spiritually prepared, may catch you off-guard. To your normal mind it will not make any sense. Doors you didn’t even know existed will be opening for you. Suddenly God will be moving you from the back to the front. You will experience a sudden shift and a lift.
The 5 foolish virgins began to run helter-skelter at midnight because they were not prepared. Therefore, ensure there is reserve oil in your vessel. Ensure you are walking in purity and power. Ensure you are digging deep into the Word and being led by the Holy Ghost.: Your level of spiritual preparation is what will determine your height of outward manifestation.
2020 will indeed be a game changer. It is a year in which you will suddenly experience a change of seasons and change of story. And one important way to prepare for this coming season is to adequately bless God for 2019 as it ends. Indeed God has been very faithful this year. God has truly done us well! And as we bless Him for His finger, He will surely reveal His arm to us.
PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for Your marvelous helps to me throughout this year. Thank You also for the greater things ahead. Please help me to maintain a lifestyle of spiritual fervency and to be adequately prepared for the change of season You are bringing my way, in Jesus’ Name.

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

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

DAILY READING –Acts 7:23-8:1a; Deuteronomy 31-32; Job 19

The book, ‘Imprisoned For Christ: A True Story’ was written about  Pastor Christo Kulichev,  an evangelical pastor  in Bulgaria who was imprisoned and exiled for almost four years for his faith in Jesus Christ. The book tells of his false imprisonment because the officials of the Balkan prison never charged him with any crime, but made him serve time.

On January 9, 1985 he was arrested, tried, and imprisoned for disobedience to the Communist regime. During his time in prison he made Christ known every way he could. When he got out he wrote, “Both prisoners and jailers asked many questions, and it turned out that we had a more fruitful ministry there than we could have expected in church. God was better served by our presence in prison than if we had been free.”

After his release he had a leading function in the Bulgarian Church and was also editor of the Evangelical newspaper Zornitza (Morning Star).

Though it seemed the communist government  were restricting him, they only ended up helping to expand his ministry.

Sometimes what may appear as tribulation in your life may actually be God expanding the scope of your mission. Sometimes we may pass through tough times that really try our faith. But whatever we go through while having faith in Christ, it is all for a purpose. There is a plan God is working out. Though things may not look good at first, always understand that you are being pruned for a reason.

And as Job said ‘When He hath tried me I shall come forth as gold’. [Job 23;10]  When you are a child of God things don’t happen to you anyhow, there is a reason behind every season of life. Your life is following a divine script.  Sometimes God can use  difficult situations to move you from your comfort zone into the place of training for the ministry he has for you. Change is often not comfortable. Leaving behind the familiar and venturing into the unknown can even be scary. But in the case of Moses, Joseph, Daniel, David, it seemed none of them could come into their destined place until they had first passed through a process of hardship that trained them for where they were destined for.

In Isaiah 66:19 God said ‘and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations.., to the isles afar that have not heard My Name, neither have seen My Glory, and they shall declare My Glory among the gentiles’.

Wherever God leads always understand it is for the purpose of declaring His glory. We are created and prepared for the purpose of manifesting God’s Glory.  Everything that is being done in our lives is for the purpose of declaring His Glory. Even the trials and tribulations you may seem to have passed through this year are all to His glory. God said in Isaiah 43;7  ‘Even everyone that is called by My Name, for I have created him for My Glory’.  And verse 21 says  ‘this people have I formed for Myself, they shall shew forth My Praise’.

What looks like tribulation right now is working out for your good, and The Lord shall be glorified through your testimony.

As they year draws to a close look back at everything that happened this year and return all the glory and praise to God. Yes a lot of good things have happened but there may also have been one or two things that you fully didn’t understand. But despite all it has been for God’s glory. And  when the enemy thought he was persecuting you, you were only being purified by the fire to offer unto God worthy praise. Because the greater the test, the sweeter the testimony.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for everything that has happened in my life this year. Everywhere and in everything I have seen Your faithfulness. I truly want to bless You for Your marvelous helps and may my life continually bring glory to You at all times in Jesus Name..

Quote :

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

Psalm 34:1
I will bless The Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth…

DAILY READING – Acts 7:1-22; Deuteronomy 29-30; Job 18

During the 1800’s, the French General George Muller Massena who took orders from Napoleon, arrived at a quaint and militarily important Austrian town. As his 18,000 soldiers were gearing up for their invasion, the stunned Austrian citizens were quite terrified. Knowing they were about to be beaten, killed, sold into slavery, or worse, they laid down plans for a counter attack.
What did they do? Since their death seemed imminent, they decided to go to church and praise God. Figuring their only defense would be direct intervention from God, they began to ring the church bells and praised God loudly.
When the Church service eventually ended, the Austrian prayer warriors opened the church doors not knowing what to expect. But to their uter surprise they found that the entire French battalion had vacated. It turned out that the French General Massena incorrectly confused the ringing of the church bells for what he thought was the announcement of the arrival of the entire Austrian army. The city was saved, and Christ was glorified.
A similar story of God’s amazing rescue takes place in the Bible in First Kings chapters 18 and 19. In these passages, the people of God led by King Hezekiah were in fear over the threats of Sennacherib. While Sennacherib has his forces mounted, assembled, and in line for a massive attack, King Hezekiah, like the people in Austria, went to the Lord in prayer, asking Him to rescue his people so that all the kingdoms of the earth would know He is the Lord.
That very night the LORD’s messenger went out and killed 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. The next morning, there were all dead bodies lying around.
God saved His people by sending just “one messenger”, one angel who destroyed 185,000 soldiers.
Exodus 15:11 declares that God is glorious in holiness, and fearful in praises, doing wonders. Indeed there is deliverance power in praise. The wonder working power of God is often seen in the midst of praises. When we ring the joy bells in the face of troubles and trials, God’s power to deliver arises. In 2 Chronicles 20, when king Jehoshaphat was outnumbered by enemies, he engaged the weapon of praise. As God arose for his deliverance the enemies were destroyed. It takes praise to engage God’s Presence.
Let us therefore keep praising God as this year comes to an end. In everything let us keep thanking Him. Indeed God has done marvelously well for us this year. He has fought battles for us, seen and unseen. He has slain goliaths and parted red seas for us. He has made a way where there seemed to be no way. Let us therefore, bless Him for His miracles we have seen this year. And as we praise Him, there are Sennacherib and his Assyrian forces that God will be dealing with for our sakes.

As we engage in high praises, God will come down in our midst. And when God steps into our affairs, every enemy of pain, poverty, sickness, infirmity etc, will be scattered faraway from us forever in Jesus Name.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank and praise You. Indeed You have done all things well for me. As this year comes to a conclusion, I ‘thank You’ for all Your faithfulness towards me and my family. Indeed I am very grateful in Jesus Name. .
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Praise always guarantees you power for a raise, learning to praise God in season and out of season is key to fulfilling destiny. – WORDBITE 222.

Psalm 23:4 ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me..

DAILY READING • Acts 6; Deuteronomy 28; Job 17

Artistic depictions of the nativity scene often show three “Wise Men” visiting the infant Jesus in a manger. This scene is derived from the Biblical account in the book of Mathew. Of the gospel writers, Matthew alone mentions this episode. And this Matthew’s brief passage has sparked a great deal of imaginative speculation over the centuries, especially as not much is known about these wise men.

The phrase “from the east” is the only information Matthew provides about the region from which they came. Thus they are believed to come from the Parthian Empire, centered in Persia, which occupied virtually all of the land east of Judea and Syria at that time.

Traditionally they are often said to be three in number but that is only a guess because they brought with them three gifts, they could probably have been more in number.

However what is remarkable about these wise men is that they made a long and great journey looking for the newly born King, following an unusually bright star in the sky.

When word reached Herod that these “wise men” were in search of the Messiah, he had them brought before him. Herod’s counsel was for these men to go to Judea, find the exact location of the new born king and then return to inform him. His true intent of course was to kill this babe and eliminate any threat to his reign.

These wise men accomplished their mission of locating the savior, however through divine direction they were able to avoid Herod and return back to their hometown safely.

The journey of these wise men to find the savior often reflects our own journey in seeking Christ. On the way, there will often be Herods with hidden agendas who come as wolf in sheep’s clothing. This is why it is important we heed divine direction in the journey of destiny. To escape the evil agenda of the wicked we must learn to walk by faith and not by sight. From scriptures, we understand that every child of God is ordained to be a global and mountaintop citizen. However, to fulfill that glorious, colorful and enviable destiny, we must be willing to pay the spiritual price of going deeper in seeking God. We must move to a higher level in our prayer life, Word study and kingdom service. Moving to a higher spiritual level and being guided by The Spirit of God will help us bypass every Herod sent to distract us or truncate our quest.

The greatest challenge, before anyone seriously seeking God is distraction from people on a mission to curtail their vision. There is no one seriously seeking God that will not face such challenges. It’s the devil’s regular attack strategy. However through divine direction we can continually escape.

Psalms 23:4- says ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me..’

When God is with us, He will guide us through every valley of shadow of death. As we approach the new year we must take a decision not to live our lives anyhow or by guess work. The only way to avoid the Herods of destiny is by being guided by The Holy Spirit. And one way to hear the voice of divine guidance is through coming to God in worship.

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, ..For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.’

It will take the voice of The Lord to beat down every Assyrian and disarm the wicked. As you follow The Holy Spirit, your movement will become like the wind, so that no one can tell how you go or how you come. Indeed when you allow the Lord to lead you, the future is secure and your journey becomes great.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to always listen to the voice of Your divine guidance so as to avoid every trap on my way. By Your grace nothing shall stop or hinder my journey until I arrive at my glorious destiny in Jesus Name.

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