HORM Devotional

Acts 16;25  ‘And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.’

DAILY READING   Mark 11:15-33; 1 Kings 2; Hosea 5:5-15

In a hurricane, there’s something called the “eye of the storm”. This is the center of the hurricane, where it’s very calm and peaceful. All around there  may be  chaos, winds blowing 150 miles an hour, debris flying all around, danger everywhere. But  strangely, despite all this outward mayhem, within the eye of the storm, it’s very calm and peaceful.

When a Hurricane is pounding and bringing catastrophic flooding to a region, one may wonder—where do the birds go in such a storm? Birds are often found in the eye of the hurricane. When they start getting caught up in whipping winds, they naturally move to where there is some calm, and this is the eye of the storm.

There may be times in life, when it seems as if all around you everything is spinning out of control. Trials, temptations, challenges, may seem to surround you, but in the midst of that storm, there is a place of peace where you can go. The Scripture calls it “the peace that passes all understanding.”

It is a place of inexplicable calmness, and joy. It is a place where when you should be stressed, rather you are blessed. It is a place of turning your battle field to a worship field.  This is the place where miracles happen. Paul and Silas were surrounded by storm, they were tied up in a prison and soldiers where all around, but when they praised God despite the storm, they were delivered.

In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat certainly had a stormy situation when three mighty nations surrounded him, but when he chose to praise God, the storm was dispersed and he got the victory.

What you need to survive any storm is to have Jesus in your boat. In Mathew 8;23-27, the disciples were surrounded by a storm, they ran to Jesus and said, “Master, wake up! For we perish !” Jesus stood up and simply rebuked the storm. He said, “Peace. Be still.” And instantly, the storm ceased. Though Jesus was in the storm, He knew He had power and authority over it. And because He stayed in peace, He brought peace to the situation.

You can experience  peace in any storm, when God is with you. What gives peace in the storm is God’s Presence, and we engage His Presence through praises. It doesn’t matter  what surrounds you today, when you can bring God into your situation through praise, you will experience a speedy, forceful turnaround.  Certainly as you praise God today, He will give you a definite change of story.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to always praise You in every situation. No matter what may be happening around me, I know indeed that You are greater than any storm. Thank You Lord for exceeding my expectations in Jesus Name. .

Quote

When God places His hand upon a man in life nothing can come against him, this is because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.  WORDBITE 222

James 4;7   ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’

• DAILY READING –  Mark 11:1-14; 1 Kings 1; Hosea 4:11b-5:4

Smith Wigglesworth was without doubt one of the most anointed men of God that ever lived. He was known as an Apostle of Faith who  lived and walked continually in the presence of God. He literally traveled the world in the 1920’s and 1930’s, and thousands were saved and healed through his ministry.The secret of his success was his passionate love for The Word of God. He always had a copy of the New testament Bible with him wherever he went.  He said he never felt  quite completely dressed, unless he had a copy of the Bible with him. And often, he got revelations of scriptural truths from the simple things that happened around  him. 

One time when Smith was waiting at a bus-stop, a woman was having trouble getting her small dog, which had followed her, to go home. First she tried sweet-talking it, and asking it to please go home. But after a while of trying this to no avail, the woman suddenly stamped her foot and said severely: ‘Go home at once!’ The dog immediately took off home, with it’s tail between it’s legs.  Smith caught a revelation by simply watching this scene. Then he said loudly enough for all those waiting at the bus-stop to hear. ‘That’s how you have to treat the devil’.  And indeed this was his attitude toward the devil, he always reacted violently against the enemy.

James 4;7 says ”Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’

The enemy is not a pet so you do not treat him as such,  he is a devourer, he goes  about as a roaring lion seeking whom to devour. Therefore to overcome him, you must react in violence. What you do not want you do not watch.  Life is a battle, and you must be strong in faith, to overcome.

It takes violent faith to take your portion. if you keep tolerating  a negative situation, it will  not move. You need to react in violent faith to dislodge it. You must put down your foot and declare to it  ‘enough is enough!’ The truth is that it is the violent that takes it by force.   Desperate situations call for desperate actions. Certain situations may not budge until you go the extra mile and do whatever it takes to flush it out..

In Mathew 17; 21 Jesus said some kind will not go except by praying and fasting.

Spiritual battles are real and we have to be violent in faith to take what belongs to us. And to have the faith we require, we need to diligently study God’s Word, because faith  comes by hearing The Word.

 PRAYER: Father please help me to be full of Your so that I can have the violent faith it takes to overcome the trials and temptations that I may face. I thank You for always causing me to triumph in Jesus name.

quote :

To get into the next level of your life, God will always give a specific instruction. – WORDBITE 222.

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

• DAILY READING –  Mark 10:32-52; 2 Samuel 24; Hosea 4:1-11a

Solomon L. Ginsburg was a famous Baptist missionary to Brazil, who served there for thirty-five years. However before he got born again, he used to be the son of a Jewish rabbi and when converted to Christianity, there were a lot of battles against him..

When the Jewish  community in Poland heard of his new faith, they tried to convince him to return back, but when he refused them, they proceeded to disinherit and excommunicate him.

When addressing open-air meetings in East London he was attacked, thrown down, and kicked until nearly dead. On another occasion he was invited to a shoe factory to speak to Jewish workmen. The invitation, however, was but a trap to destroy him. When he entered the room, there was a general uprising. The Jewish shoemakers rushed on him with hammers, knives, and lasts and threw him down a spiral staircase with the deliberate intention of killing him. But he caught the railing as he fell and escaped by sliding astride the banister. During his ministry he faced a lot of oppositions and several attempts were made at his life. But he was a firm believer in the Blood of Jesus to save him from all harm. And through faith in Christ’s blood to deliver, he served the Lord with ceaseless devotion and wonderful success in that vast land.

Indeed there is power in the Blood of Jesus to save us from all  harm. .By  His blood we are more than conquerors and overcomers in all battles.

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

To live a life of victory we must learn to receive fully the benefits of Christ’s  sacrifice.  We must exercise this benefit by always applying the blood of Jesus over our lives and all that concerns us. The blood of the Lamb is inexhaustible and never-ending. It is an unlimited supply. According to Isaiah 53:4-5, Jesus’ sacrifice covered every area of man’s existence. He bore spiritual torment for our sins, mental distress for our worry, care, sorrow and fear, as well as physical pain for our sickness and disease. The stripes He bore and the blood He shed were for our healing. By His stripes we are healed. . every time we apply the blood, there is created a barrier between us and all the works of the devil.

The blood of Jesus Christ has the power to rescue us from Satan’s death grip. Paul stressed this power of the blood in EPHESIANS 1:13 which says that our Heavenly Father “has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated (or moved) us into the kingdom of His dear Son.”

*That word “deliver”here refers to the idea of rushing to rescue someone. Without Jesus Christ, we are trapped by Satan in spiritual darkness and death. But Jesus came to rescue us from darkness and death!

Let us therefore continuously apply the blood of Jesus to the doorposts of our lives in faith. When we plead the Blood in the face of sickness, disease or danger, the Power contained in the blood will always arise for our deliverance!

PRAYER: Father I thank You for delivering me from every wicked plan through the Blood of Jesus. I receive the fullness of the benefits purchased for me at Calvary by the blood. I thank You that indeed affliction can never arise a second time in my life in Jesus Name.

quote :

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

2 Chronicles 26:15 . ‘And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong’

• DAILY READING  Mark 10:1-31; 2 Samuel 23; Hosea 3

In 1976  Three of Israel’s greatest leaders: Ehud Barak, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin planned and pulled off one of the most astonishing military operations in history. It was Israel’s rescue of its hostages from Entebbe named ‘operation thunderbolt’. It  has become celebrated as the most daring rescue mission of a generation.

On June 27, 1976, an Air France flight from Tel Aviv to Paris was hijacked by a group of Arab and German terrorists who demanded the release of 53 terrorists. The plane was forced to divert to Entebbe, in Uganda–ruled by the dictator Idi Amin. But rather than negotiate, Israel leaders decided to carry out a daring rescue. Four Hercules planes, accompanied by two Boeing 707 jets, flew 200 soldiers, undetected over 2,500 miles in an 8 hours flight  to Uganda. To avoid radar, they flew extraordinarily low. Arriving in the dead of night to Entebbe capital of Uganda, they overpowered the Ugandan soldiers, killed the terrorists, rescued over a hundred Israeli hostages and flew them back to Israel.

The audacity of that rescue operation astounded the world and put Israeli military in a class of its own.  However, although many saw the rescue at Entebbe as a show of the military strength of Israel, in truth it was the doing of The Lord. It was another miracle signature of The Lord’s hand over His people. Israel did not just embark on a rescue, the nation was praying and the Rabbis were calling upon God and He answered. The fact that Entebbe was a miracle and not just about Israel’s military prowess was  made glaringly clear  when America decided to imitate Israel’s tactics.  In 1980, when 52 US embassy staff in Tehran Iran  were held hostage,  president Jimmy Carter planned an Entebbe-style rescue mission of his own. But despite the high level military and technical preparations, the mission failed. It was aborted amid mechanical failures and a midair collision before America’s aircraft got anywhere near the US hostages. Eight US servicemen lost their lives; it was a catastrophe. The botched raid on Iran was a humiliation for the US president, and government. But it also fed the myth of Entebbe, as it suggested that Israel had managed a feat that was beyond the capacity of even the mighty US.

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

When God is with you, you become a wonder to your world. It is His grace that makes great.  We have to learn to continually acknowledge the help of The Lord in our affairs. The inexplicable favors we sometimes experience are not our doing, it is The Lord’s doing. Some of the things we survived was what easily killed other people. We must therefore learn not to take the doings of The Lord for granted so that we do not become grounded. To see the outstanding success and progress we desire, we must heavily rely on help from above. .

2 Chronicles 26:15 speaking about King Uziah says . ‘And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.’

Marvelous help will always generate marvelous strength. The help of God does for us exceedingly, abundantly, above all we could ever ask or imagine.  Indeed when strengthened through Christ, we can do all things. When you have God on your side, you have the majority on your side. It is through divine help that we are elevated above our peers. Through the help of God, we are able to achieve what others find impossible to accomplish. And divine help is accessed through coming daily to God, to fellowship with Him in prayer and in His Word.  Let us therefore learn to always come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need in Jesus Mighty Name.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for doing for me exceedingly, abundantly above all I could ever ask or imagine. Indeed I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me in Jesus Name.

quote

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

Deuteronomy 1:8 ‘Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.’

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

In 1789, at the start of the French Revolution, a general panic which has come to be known as the ‘great fear’ swept through the countryside. It was based on a false rumor that the aristocrats, the ruling class, planned to use soldiers to plunder the villages and fields. Without bothering to find out the truth, the villages became filled with mass hysteria. Strangers, even animal herds, were often mistaken for this band of invading soldiers. People lived their lives in fear, tormented by the thought of soldiers about to invade them. To protect themselves, villagers formed armed militias, but this only exacerbated the problem, as the militias themselves were often again mistaken to be the invading soldiers by neighboring villages, when they happened to patrol nearby. Some militias further added to the chaos by attacking and burning down houses and fields owned by the ruling class. Confusion and fear reigned for weeks until word eventually filtered in that it was all a false rumor.

It is amazing how such unfounded fear could instantly disorganize a people, negatively affecting their lifestyles. Fear, once it grips the heart can cripple a man and paralyze him from proper reasoning.

Proverbs 22:13 says ‘the slothful man says there is a lion without I shall be slain in the streets’. This man without seeing any lion yet,  is bound by fear and stays indoors, afraid to venture out.

Fear keep many bound so that they are unable to step out and take the territories God has mapped out for them. They stay in one spot and make excuses. Fear of the unknown make people are afraid to step out of their comfort zones. Uncertain of the unfamiliar they would rather stay with the familiar. Without really stepping out to find out, they conclude there is a lion in the street. Without even trying they have already foreseen failure.

Psychologists say fear of failure is the primary reason for failure in life. Fear is a major problem that plagues the hearts of men.

2 Timothy 1:7 says ‘for God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of love and a sound mind’.

Because people are afraid of failing they are unwilling to step into something new. As a result of past experiences where they have been hurt or constantly told ‘No’ or ‘it cannot be done’, most people prefer to stay in their familiar terrain and play it safe. They think security instead of opportunity.

In Deuteronomy 1:8  God says to the Israelites ‘Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them’.

Though God had asked the Israelites to go forth and take the land, fear kept them from going forward to possess the inheritance. The report of the 10 spies filled the people with fear, so that instead of going forward they were turned back into the wilderness. Exposing yourself to the wrong report can breed fear in the heart. This is why you have to be careful the things you listen to. Just as faith comes by hearing The Word of God, fear comes from hearing the words of men.

But The Word of God frees you from fear and self- limiting beliefs. It opens a whole new world of possibilities where through Christ you can do all things. It is a world where you don’t look at how weak you are but how great God is. It is a world where it is not by power, nor by might, but by The Spirit  of The Lord. This is where faith rules and there is no place for fear. And by the liberating power in God’s Word, we shall be marching forward in this month of March to possess all that God has ordained for us.

PRAYER:  Lord, I know you have so much in store for me, please enable me to meditate constantly on your Word so that my heart can be filled with the faith I need to possess my possession in Jesus Name. ..  

Quote

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

Hebrews 12: 2

 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

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

During the 2010 Haiti earthquake a Sixteen-year-old girl Darlene Etienne  found that the walls collapsed around her, trapping her in a small space. Against all odds she survived in this tiny hole for 15 days. When rescuers eventually found her, she was weak, but very much alive. It was a miracle. Medical experts said there was hardly any chance of her survival. Yet despite her injuries and the prospect of dehydration after so many days without water or food, she still made it. When asked how she was able to stay alive, she said she held on to her faith in God, she believed she would survive.  Faith kept her alive even when the Haiti government had called off search and rescue 4 days earlier believing no one could still be alive under the rubble after so long. Indeed faith can do the impossible.

It doesn’t matter what the situation, may look like, as long as you can focus on God there is always a way out. He is the God of miracles and with Him nothing shall be impossible. Even if it seems you are shut in, as long as you can keep your focus on  God He will always create a way of escape for you.

What situation can be more desperate than that of the 3 Hebrew boys? They were already inside the fire, yet God appeared and carried out a rescue operation. Or what situation can be as hopeless as that of Lazarus, who had been in the grave 4 days? But then, even in the grave, Jesus is still Lord. There is no problem, trouble, situation or circumstance facing you today that God cannot handle..

When we focus on the Word of God in the face of any challenge, our victory is sure. Our focus on The Word invokes the reality of God in our hearts.

And when God dominates your heart, you will talk and act like a man from another realm. When men talk limitations and impossibilities, you talk possibilities, because you know with you is the one to whom nothing is impossible.

The truth is that God is the only eternal reality. Other things are temporal, the problems that seem to surround you are not real, it is an optical illusion.  Problems only become real once the enemy is able to shift your focus from God, and get you to concentrate on them. And the law of concentration states that the more you think about something, the more it grows, the more it becomes part of your reality. What you focus on paints an inner picture in your heart. And if you shift your focus from God’s Word and focus on problems, then those problems only grow bigger.

You must keep looking unto Jesus. The moment Peter shifted his gaze from Jesus to look at the storm, he began to sink. All the roaring of the storm was aimed at shifting his focus. Because the enemy is helpless against the end result, he fights the process by trying to shift your focus. But as long as you can focus on God via His Word, faith is imparted and your victory is assured. Because  faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

PRAYER: Lord, I know with you nothing shall be impossible. Please help me to always focus on your Word so that I can possess the faith to achieve the impossible 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.

Exodus 14:13 |

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

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

In North Africa Islam is the dominant religion and oftentimes in these countries, persecutions arise against Christians. During one of these times of persecution, a believer, named Frederick Nolan, was fleeing from his enemies. As he ran he was pursued by them over hill and valley with no place to hide. Finally, he fell exhausted into a wayside cave, expecting his enemies to find him at any moment and kill him.

Awaiting his death, he saw a spider weaving a web by the mouth of the cave. Within minutes, the little bug had woven a beautiful web across the mouth of the cave. When the pursuers arrived and saw the cave, they wondered if Nolan was hiding there, but when they saw the unbroken and unmangled piece of spider web covering the mouth of the cave, they concluded he couldn’t be there. They  thought it impossible for him to have entered the cave without dismantling the web. And so not intending to waste any further time lest he escaped they went on past the cave and continued running hoping to catch him. When he was sure, they were gone, Frederick Nolan burst out of the cave, and realized how God has used a tiny spider to save his life. He would later say “Where God is, a spider’s web is like a wall, and where God is not, a wall is like a spider’s web.”

Indeed God can use anything or anyone to deliver us from the enemy. We just need to be still and trust in Him to see His salvation.

Psalms 46:10 says ‘Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth’.

There are times in life we may find our backs against the wall. At such times, it seems we may not know what else to do, But God is an ever present help in the time of trouble. And no matter how tough things may look, He is able to make a way of escape out of every temptation.

So despite the raging storm, stand still and know that He is God. Despite the closeness of Pharaoh and his troops, stand, and know that you are serving a miracle working God. He is the God who makes a way where there seems to be no way. He is the God who can close the mouth of lions, He moves mountains and causes walls of Jericho to fall. Stand, knowing that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. Stand, knowing that with every temptation God will surely make a way of escape for you. Stand, knowing that it cannot be over until God says so.

Jehovah indeed has the final say. He is the man of war with whom nothing is impossible. He is the God of all flesh and nothing is ever too hard for him. He can do exceedingly abundantly above all you could ever ask or think. So no matter how the storm rages, stand, knowing that you serve a God who can calm every storm. He raises a standard against the flood and makes a path through the mighty waters. Therefore learn to declare His faithfulness even in the midst of your trouble. Judge Him faithful even in the midst of your trials. Never mind what may be happening around you keep looking at what is written in God’s Word, because what is written will eventually control what is happening.

So it doesn’t matter what it may look like right now, know of a surety, that as long as you keep looking to Jesus.  that the red sea will not swallow you. The storm will not stop you and the billows will not blow you away. When all is said and done, you will still be standing. So learn to trust God even when you cannot trace Him. Learn to follow Him even when you cannot fathom Him, learn to keep holding on to Him, no matter what comes. He will never leave you, nor forsake you. He will be your ever present help in the time of your need. He will arise for you, He will prevail for you. He will surely see you through. Indeed He will perfect all that concerns you. He will put a new song in your mouth and set your feet upon the rock.

PRAYER: Lord, Please help me to know that You are always there to deliver me. No matter what I may face in life,  I know I have the victory,  because You  always cause me to triumph in Christ  in Jesus Name.  ….

QUOTE;

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

Rev 5:12  ‘Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.’

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

On August 28, 2018, joy erupted in Israel over the birth of a red cow. This of course was not an ordinary cow. It was the long awaited red heifer, expected to be used in the purification of the Jewish third temple. This  search for a perfect red heifer, which was rare, had been hard and long. The Temple Institute, a well  known organization in Israel with the focus of rebuilding the prophesied Third Temple on Mount Moriah has been on the forefront of this search. And after a long and desperate search for many years and in many countries, it was therefore with great joy that the Temple Institute finally on August 28 2018, announced the birth of a flawless all-red heifer in Israel.

Why the finding of a red heifer has been important to the Jews, is because according to Numbers 19, a completely red heifer without any blemish or spot was necessary for cleansing and purification.  This ordinance was observed during the period of the First and Second Jewish Temple. but after the destruction of the second temple all  that stopped. And for the past 2,000 years there has been no sacrifice of red heifer. But as the Jews prepare for the building of the third temple and the coming of the Messiah they have found it necessary to get ready a red heifer to be used for purification. And with the birth of this red heifer on August 28,  many Jews believe their search is over.

However, as believers, we know that the perfect sacrifice was found and offered 2000 years ago for our redemption and purification. Unlike the Jews we don’t have to be on a long search for a red heifer. We must therefore be grateful to God for the blood of Jesus that has been freely made available to us. And the Blood of Jesus is  not only for our cleansing but also for our victory, dominion and all that we need to succeed in life.

Rev 5;12 says Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.’

Jesus shed His blood to receive for us power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory, and blessings. Indeed Jesus paid the price for us to live an overcoming life.

Therefore, in this new month we shall be marching forward by the power in The Blood. It is our month of progress, therefore every hindrance on our path, every resistance and delay is defeated today by The Blood. in Jesus Name.

It is also the third month signifying resurrection.  Therefore in our businesses, finances, career, health, family, anything stagnant or dormant must jerk back to life. Indeed this month the resurrection power in the Blood will address every dead area in our lives. We must march forward. We must move forward.  Success is our portion. Indeed it is our new day and new season of ease and divine speed .

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You that By the blood of Jesus I have been redeemed from every form of stagnancy to enjoy the blessings of divine speed and progress, Indeed by Your grace I am marching into dominion and unending victory in Jesus Name.

Quote

When God places His hand upon a man in life nothing can come against him, this is because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance

Mathew 7:24-25 ‘Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.’

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

On Christmas eve of 1968, history was made when the first ever group of American astronauts traveled into space. These astronauts made a live broadcast from their Apollo 8 spacecraft which was watched by about 1 billion people, the largest TV audience then. The. astronauts each described the experience of being the first humans in lunar orbit. They transmitted close-up footage of the moon’s features and were obviously in awe of God. And to conclude the broadcast, they took turns reading verses from the book of Genesis.

It is however incredible that soon after this broadcast they were sued.  Madalyn Murray O’Hair, founder of American Atheists, responded to the astronaut’s Bible reading, by suing the United States government, alleging violations of the First Amendment. Her actions stemmed from a long ranging war in America where multiculturalism tries to overshadow traditional Christian values. Every year the limitations get tighter and tighter such that today, literally any sign of religion in public sparks complaints, litigation, angry protests, threats, and bruised feelings. However this is only a reflection of the kind of world we are living in, a world that is trying by all means to silence the voice of Christianity.

To be a Christian at this time and boldly stand for what you believe will attract attacks. There is an ongoing fight by the enemy to water down the faith as Christian values are constantly being criticized. The truth is that everyone’s faith will be tested one way or the other. The question is; will your faith stand under fire? When others around you are compromising, will you maintain integrity? When tempted with sin, will you be able to say ‘No!’?  When things seem contrary to your expectation, will you still be unwavering in your confession of God’s Word?

Indeed to be able to stand in faith you must have dug deep into The Word and laid an unshakeable foundation of faith in God’s Word.

Mathew 7:24-25 says  ‘Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.’

Indeed when your foundation is strong in God, you will not be moved no matter what comes your way. On this last day of February, perhaps there are things you  believed God for in this month.  That you have not seen their manifestation yet does not mean God has not answered. Let us learn to hold on to God’s Word knowing that He is too faithful to fail. Delay is not denial.  And rather than murmur, let us remain strong in faith, giving glory to God.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to develop a culture of deep study of Your Word so as to always remain strong  in faith and uncompromising in the face of every storm in Jesus Name.

Quote :

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

Exodus 12:13 ‘And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt’

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

Open Doors USA is an organisation that for over 60 years, has worked in the world’s most oppressive countries, empowering Christians who are persecuted for their beliefs. For a number of years now they have been receiving several testimonies of Muslims speaking of how Jesus appeared to them in dreams or visions to lead them to Christianity. Recently, in one of these testimonies aired on the Christian Broadcasting Network [CBN],  a Muslim Egyptian man who planned to murder his Christian cousin revealed his story of miraculous conversion.

This man  “Mostafa” told Open Doors USA that his family had ordered him to execute his own cousin who had earlier converted to Christianity and expressed devout faith in Jesus Christ.  Honoring his family, he thought, meant that he must complete this murderous task. So, one day, when his cousin, “Mohammed,” was sitting in the church listening intently to a sermon, Mostafa crept into the back of the church, with a hidden knife waiting for a right time to strike. But then, something supernatural occurred. Mostafa, as he waited for the opportunity to strike had to in the meantime listen to the words of the minister coming from the altar. And rather than be offended he found his heart was stirred by what he was hearing. Quickly, he realized that he no longer had the zeal to carry out the killing of his cousin and so he decided to confess to Mohammed. With tears streaming down his face, he confessed to his cousin and asked him to tell him more about Jesus. Mohammed immediately explained the Gospel to him and later took Mostafa to his home.  And that night as Mostafa slept, he had a dream. where Jesus appeared to him on the cross and said, “I did all of this because I love you, and I want you to be free from your sins.” The next morning, Mostafa rushed out of bed and asked Mohammed to pray for him. In an instant, he received salvation and was baptized, and has now vowed to walk with Jesus all the days of his life.

It is indeed amazing the transformation that the power in the blood of Jesus can bring. Every captivity was broken instantly in Mostapha’s life by the power in the blood. Indeed there is overcoming power in the blood of Jesus.

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

Also because of the Blood of Jesus Mohammed’s life was preserved, from the attempt to kill him.  Indeed in these last days, wickedness will increase but in the midst of all these evil, God will exempt His own by His supernatural intervention.. Through the blood we will be delivered from every pit dug for us.

Zechariah 9:11-12 says ‘As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.’

Indeed  any battle the enemy has arraigned against you, can be won today through the invocation of the blood of Jesus. His blood is a weapon of mass destruction against every satanic assault. Indeed the blood elevates us to a place of triumph in every contest.

Heb. 12:24 says “…And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”

Indeed the blood of Jesus speaks. And today that blood is speaking over our lives and over our land. It is speaking judgment to every oppression of pharaoh.  In Egypt, despite the years of captivity when the blood came on the scene in Exodus chapter 12, Pharaoh quickly gave up.  Let us therefore keep invoking the blood because it is  the divine provision for our freedom from every satanic oppression. It is what it takes to silence the opposition. It is our ultimate victory in every battle of life.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for the  yoke breaking power in the blood of Jesus.  Indeed today by the power in the blood, every bondage and captivity is destroyed in my life forever!  I have victory over everything contesting my glorious destiny in Jesus Name.

Quote;

It’s never over in your life until you win.  God is still in control of your life.