HORM Devotional

Luke 6:48

He is like a man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock:

• DAILY READING  – Philippians 2:1-11; Ezekiel 20; Isaiah 49

A wise man once said, life is in phases and men are in sizes. That is indeed true.  There is a hidden phase or season of life, where God trains us. This season can be likened to the growth of the Chinese Bamboo Tree.

One of the most unique and amazing plants in the world is the Chinese Bamboo Tree. It doesn’t grow in the typical fashion of other trees.  Once planted, one must water, feed and nurture the seed every day, for four years. Yet for those four years there is no evidence of growth, no evidence of life. For four years it seems like one is totally wasting their efforts. Because there is no sign a tree was planted there.. But during those first four years this Bamboo Tree is actually growing a very strong, deep and extensive root system below the surface of the ground. This extensive root system is necessary to sustain the life of this amazing tree. One cannot see this growth with the naked eye, but one who understands plants knows exactly what is happening. The farmer cannot see it, but he knows the seed is growing. he keeps watering and providing sunlight to it because he understands if he stops, this plant will die. . But then in the fifth year an amazing thing happens. The tree finally breaks the surface of the ground and in the space of five weeks grows to an astounding height of 90 feet. It is as if the tree grows right before a person’s eyes.

The ministry God has called us to, is a walk of faith. We must trust God even when we cannot trace Him,. In the hidden season of life, we continue to invest our time and energy into his Kingdom because we understand that something is happening just beneath the surface. Whatever is happening beneath the surface is a necessary part of the manifestation.  We may not see the answer today, but that doesn’t mean the answer is not being worked on today. Our faith in God gives us the patience to keep working and waiting until His answer does come.

Our endeavors start first in the spirit with prayer as the foundation. This is the unseen season where like the Chinese bamboo we keep watering by faith even though there may be no visible signs of outward manifestation. But we trust that as we keep watering in prayer, underneath the surface God is working.

Whatever it is we are called to do we must first establish it in the spirit through prayer, before it manifests physically. We have to lay the spiritual foundation first before we start building physically.

Many endeavors fail, because people try to build without the foundation of the spirit first in place, so the whole thing comes toppling down. God’s order of things is the spirit first, then the physical follows. Even nature teaches us that there is a hidden unseen season before manifestation.

As human beings we were first in the unseen place of our mother’s womb where we were nurtured and preserved until the time came for us to become physically manifest. For nine months we were unseen, until the due season.  So is your destiny. It has an unseen season when it seems as if nothing is happening, but if you will only continue to obey God in your hidden season, in the due season your manifestation will come.

Prayer is the foundation. The man who tries to build without a spiritual foundation found that when the wind, rain and storm came his great house crumbled.

Because there will be oppositions, it is in the hidden season of prayers that you deal with the oppositions that will arise.  Whatever you are embarking upon, marriage, childbirth . education  etc, you require prayer investment for it to succeed. Life is handled with prayer.  The height of any building is determined by the depths of its foundation. We shouldn’t expect a great dream to manifest without first establishing it in the spirit through a season of prayer.

PRAYER:  Lord please help me to build my life upon the solid foundation of Your Word and prayer, help me to pay the required price to lay the needed spiritual foundation for my endeavors  in Jesus name.

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

 [ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK FAITH CLASSICS]

Galatians 6:9

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men.

DAILY READING –  Philippians 1:12-30; Ezekiel 19; Isaiah 48

History records the amazing conquest of the great city of Aztec in Mexico by a small band of Spanish soldiers in 1519. These small band of Spanish soldiers were able to achieve such a feat due to deadly commitment to their objective. Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez landed in Mexico on the shores of the Yucatan, with only one objective…seize the great treasures known to be there, hoarded by the Aztecs. Cortez was committed to his mission and his quest for riches is legendary. Cortez was an excellent motivator, he convinced more than 500 soldiers and 100 sailors to set sail from Spain to Mexico, commanding 11 ships, to take the world’s richest treasure. The historic question is “how did a small band of Spanish soldiers arrived in a strange country and swiftly brought about the overthrow of a large and powerful empire that was in power for over six centuries?”

For Cortez, the answer was easy. It was all or nothing! A Complete and Total Commitment. When Cortez and his men arrived on the shores of the Yucatan he rallied the men for one final pep talk before leading his men into battle, and utters these three words that changed the course of history. “Burn the Ships”.He met with resistance from his men. “Burn the ships,” he repeated. He then uttered these words “if we are going home, we are going home in their ships”. With that, Cortez and his men burned their own ships, and by burning their own ships, the commitment level of the men was raised to a whole new level. A level much higher than any of the men, including Cortez, could have ever imagined. Amazingly, the men conquered the Aztecs and had succeeded in something where others had been unsuccessful for six centuries. With the victory, Cortez and his men took the treasure.

Why they succeeded against all odds was because they had no retreat plan, no fall back position. They had no choice! It was “succeed or die”. Their ships were burned. They had no way to get back. Their backs were to the wall.

If this men could be so dedicated in their quest for gold, how much more dedicated should we be in our quest for God. Dedication has been described as deadly commitment. It means putting your hands to the plough without the option of turning back.

Our commitment as Christians cannot be complete until we come to the decision to serve God totally without an option of turning back. Retreat is easy when you have the option. But when you decide like Paul that to live is Christ and to die is gain, then there no option but to go forward. That is why in the armours listed in Ephesians 6 there is no defense for your back, because you never meant to turn back, you must keep pressing forward.

Your choice for dedication today guarantees your distinction tomorrow. When your life is planted, you will be supernaturally advancing from glory to glory. Glory  will not come until the mystery of dedication is in place. To truly achieve the level of success we each desire, we must need to “burn the ships.”, by forsaking all, taking up the cross and following Jesus. Everything that makes great had its roots in grace! Nobody’s life will be any more glorious than His dedication to God. Until you stop engaging, you don’t stop advancing. You know the great vision God has shown you. you know you are created for the topmost place. You know you are headed for glory. Therefore do not accept anything less. Do not accept defeat, do not accept limitation or compromise. In this war, there is no room for retreat or surrender. You must never stop your journey halfway. You can’t afford to. You have come too far from where you started from. Yes, the journey may not be easy, but God is committed to ensuring you finish well. God has never failed and He will not start with you. What He starts He finishes. God has no abandoned projects. Faithful is He that called you, who always will do it. He that begun this good work in you will complete it. You have come too far to turn back, you must keep pressing forward. There is an end in sight. There is a glorious destiny awaiting you. It is he that endures to the end that reaps. And as you endeavor to continue to praise God for how far He has brought you, He will ensure your journey and quest in life ends well.

PRAYER:  Lord , I praise You for all your goodness in my life, past present and future.  I am truly grateful for how far You have brought me. Thank You so much Lord Jesus for Your unending  love  for me.

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When you praise God despite your situation power is released for a raise. – WORDBITE 222. 

[ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK SUPERNATURAL LOVE OF GOD]

2 Timothy 3:16-17; ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

DAILY READING    Philippians 1:1-11; Ezekiel 18; Isaiah 47

In football matches, there are rare moments when a player scores against his own team. This can be disheartening and frustrating to the team. Perhaps one of the strangest of such instances in the history of college football almost took place in 1929. This was during a competition between University of California and Georgia Tech. A University of California football player, Roy Riegels, picked up a fumble by Georgia Tech and started running toward the goal post. What is strange is that his own teammates began to chase him. He raced 65 yards down the field before he was finally tackled by a teammate. But then why would a player on his own team tackle him? The reason was because Riegels spun around after picking up the ball, became disoriented and began to run to the opposite direction. He was the only one in the entire stadium who didn’t know he was running toward the wrong goal line. He was going to score in his own  team’s goal post. He could hear the cheers of the crowd, but didn’t realize they were coming from the other team. And he would have scored a wrong goal if he hadn’t been stopped in time.

Jonah was thrown overboard by his fellow travelers and later swallowed by the fish to stop him from going the wrong way. Sometimes God allows circumstances to tackle you to let you know you are going the wrong way. 

In Numbers 22, God stopped the donkey as a way of warning Balaam that he was going the wrong way. God will always find ways to alert us if we are going the wrong way, but the question is; are we listening?

Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

Not all open doors are from God, some could be traps in disguise. If we are headed the wrong way, God in His mercy often sends someone or something to tackle us. We must therefore be sensitive to the leading and dealings of The Holy Spirit. And most importantly we must seek guidance from scriptures. God guides and corrects us by His Word.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:’

 Let us always take the time to consult God before embarking on any venture. Let us also daily seek divine direction from Him in all that we do. And we become better positioned to receive divine guidance when we walk in love. We are firstly commanded to love God will all our hearts and secondly to love our neighbors as ourselves. When we live and walk in love, we are walking in the will of God and God will be committed to guiding us. And if at any time, it seems we are headed the wrong way, He will send situations to tackle us and then by His Spirit show us the right way to go.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for Your divine guidance made available to me through Your Word and Your Spirit. Please help me to learn to allow your Word to control my life, so that I can  be empowered to always walk in the right path of life in Jesus Name.    

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

I Corinthians 10: 13-14.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it..

• DAILY READING – Ephesians 6; Ezekiel 17; Isaiah 46

The most amazing escape recorded in American history took place on August, 1776. This was during America’s war with Britain. Miraculously, eight thousand American soldiers slipped past all British blockades without being dictated. However, this miracle is a testimony of the power of prayer.

During the war, George Washington, who would later become the American president, was leading the American troops, when he and his men fell into an enemy ambush. They were grossly outnumbered. George’s men who were 8000 in number, found themselves surrounded by 32000 British soldiers. Trapped in this ambush, the only way of escape was through a nearby river, which was risky because it would leave them without cover, thereby exposing them to gunfire. However, George Washington, was a man of prayer. Even as an army General, oftentimes during the war he would retreat into the bush to pray. And finding himself in this ambush, he began to call upon God for speedy intervention. And God answered. The first miracle was that while they were trapped there, for 2 days their enemies delayed to attack. History has no record or reason why the British army bypassed such a ripe opportunity to wipe out the American troop. However, the 2 day delay gave Washington and his men enough time to plan an escape. They gathered up all the boats in the area and in the night began escaping through the river, under cover of darkness. The second miracle was that it began to rain heavily thereby hindering any British attack or pursuit. However when the sun rose the following morning the evacuation wasn’t finished. But then miraculously God caused a thick fog to arise, which gave them cover to continue evacuating without being detected.

Again another miracle was even when an enemy spotted them escaping and wrote a quick note to the British army, to alert them, German soldiers fighting for Britain who couldn’t read English, held up the note. By the time the message eventually got to the British soldiers and they rushed down to attack, it was too late. George Washighton and his men had all escaped.

2 Peter 2:9 says ‘The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished”.

God is always available for our deliverance. As long as you serve Him, in the times of trouble He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will show  up for your deliverance. He didn’t leave Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fire, He came as the 4^th man and brought them out, He didn’t leave Daniel in the lion’s den, He closed the lions mouths and kept him safe, He didn’t leave Paul and Silas in the prison, He caused an earthquake and opened the prison doors. And so shall He not leave you, in the times of trouble. Just as the mark of the blood placed a seal of protection upon the Israelites in Egypt, in the same way  as believers today, the blood of Jesus separates us from all evil.

Indeed by the blood of Jesus, God has made a way of escape for us from every  ambush of the enemy. Whether it is the enemy of sickness, poverty, joblessness etc, God has made a way of escape through the price Jesus paid at Calvary.  And even in the struggle with sin and temptations, there is an escape for every believer.

I Corinthians 10: 12-13-14 says ‘There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.’

Indeed you are coming out of every tight corner. Today, you are escaping every trap of the enemy. Surely,  by the blood of Jesus, we have the victory.

PRAYER: Father Thank You for Your awesome deliverance in my life. I know that by Your grace I will always escape every trap of the enemy 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.

 [ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK TRIUMPH OF LIGHT OVER DARKNESS]

Matthew 22:37

‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

DAILY READING – Ephesians 5:21-33; Ezekiel 16; Isaiah 45

The spread of the Christian church in its earliest centuries is one of the most amazing phenomena in all of human history. It was unthinkable that a small, despised movement from a corner of Palestine could move out to become the dominant faith of the mighty Roman Empire. Prior to that time, the Roman empire was steeped in traditional pagan religions, which they defended fiercely.

The church was considered a ‘religio prava’, an illegal and depraved religion. Wave after wave of persecution was unleashed to squash it. At least two of the persecutions were empire-wide and intended to destroy the church. Yet, despite the persecutions the church only seemed to wax stronger and stronger. One of the powerful ways in which the church grew was through the show of love. Early Christianity was primarily an urban faith, establishing itself in the city centers of the Roman Empire, and most of the people lived close together in crowded tenements. The Gospel  spread as neighbors saw the lives of the believers close-up, on a daily basis. Those opposed to Christianity were often won over as they saw the extraordinary lives of the early Christians, noting their amazing love for God and for their neighbors. Christians became known as those who cared for the sick. Many people experienced healing that resulted from their prayers. Early Christians also started the first “Meals on Wheels.” By A.D 250, they were feeding more than 1500 of the hungry and destitute in Rome every day. And through the loving service rendered to strangers by this believers, many came to the faith leading to the rapid advancement of Christianity.

in Matthew 22:37 Jesus says ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

As believers we are to love one another. It’s not an option or a suggestion. It’s a command from Jesus himself:  In John 13:34 Jesus says “Now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other”. God is love and we are never more like Him than when we are loving others. The early Christians shone the light of God’s love into the dark world around them and many were drawn to that light. Likewise today ,we are to shine the light of God’s love to those around us. 1 Corinthians 13:7 lets us know that Love never stops being patient, that means that love extends grace; Love never stops believing, that means it expresses faith. Love never gives up, that means you can look at the other person and say, “You can throw everything at me, but I’m going to keep loving you, no matter what.”

Ultimately, loving others begins by receiving God’s love. And  the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by The Holy Ghost. It is through the knowledge of God that His love is imparted into us. As we study The Word, The Holy Spirit gives us a deeper revelation of  who God really is and fills our hearts with His love. And as we freely receive the love of Christ we are also empowered to freely release to others. The more we accept God’s love, the more love we will be able to give in return—both to Him and to the people around us!

PRAYER: Lord, please let Your love dominate my heart and  flow through me  so that I can reflect Your love to everyone I come in contact with today in Jesus Name.

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It takes a heart for God to make a mark in the sands of time. – WORDBITE 201.

Psalms 126:1KJV

When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.   Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.

DAILY READING –

• Ephesians 2; Ezekiel 6-7; Isaiah 40

June 7, 1967, was a very emotional day for Israel. It was a day a long awaited dream came true for the Jewish nation. For the first time in 2000 years Israel repossessed Jerusalem.

Jerusalem used to be the capital city of Israel,

For the first troop of Israeli soldiers to break into Jerusalem it was like a dream. And for the first time in that many years the soldiers finally could  have access into the city.

Israeli forces having repulsed the Jordanian forces had retaken the eastern Jerusalem. This was during the 1967 war. Jerusalem was the pride, the capital of the Jewish nation And after having been denied access for thousands of years, it was a historical yet very emotional moment for the Jewish nation as a whole.

Advancing through the Old City toward the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, it was very emotional for these soldiers. Every step brought them closer to the long held Jewish dream. To bring Jerusalem’s holiest site under Jewish control again.. There are sound recordings of the scene, as the commander of the brigade, Lt. General Mordechai  Gur, announces “The Temple Mount is in our hands! I repeat, the Temple Mount is in our hands!” General Rabbi Shlomo Goren, chief chaplain of the IDF, sounded the Shofar at the Western Wall to signify its liberation. To Israelis and Jews all over the world, this was a joyous and momentous occasion. Many considered it a gift from God. Many of the soldiers clung to the western wall as if their lives depended on it.  Many of the eyes were red with tears. The longing for Jerusalem is a deep yearning that beats within the Jewish heart.. David swore ‘may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I forget thee O Jerusalem’.

Nothing equals the feeling of having God’s promise come to pass in your life.

At that moment when you are told you are free from that disease, or that your wife has given birth after a long wait, or you have passed that exam, or been given a long desired gift, often it’s like a dream come true.

It is pictures of such moments that we keep before our eyes, during our walk of faith.  As long as you hold on to the picture it is only a matter of time before you desire manifests. What the enemy tries to do is to try to discourage and get you to give up, but if you don’t give up you will surely win. The dream of possessing Jerusalem again seemed almost impossible, but the Jews never gave up. They knew from the prophesy of Ezekiel that Jerusalem would be back to the Jews one day. In the 1948 war with the Arabs they failed to capture Jerusalem, but that didn’t stop them. They kept on believing, kept on reminding God of His promise until it finally came to pass.

In the same let us keep pressing in with our desire before God.  Let us not be weary, there is coming a due season, a reaping season.  What God says He will do, He will surely do.

When The Lord turned again the captivity of Zion we were like them that dream.

With God nothing shall be impossible. Whatever promise God has made to you, know that it will surely come to pass. God is not man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent. Has He said it, He will surely make it good. Keep reminding Him of His promise. Keep speaking words of faith into that situation. Keep praising God for its manifestation. And one day too your dream shall come to pass.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to align myself with your Word, so that my life can be ordered to manifest what you have ordained for my life in each season 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.

2 Corinthians 6:14

‘Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, and what  communion hath light with darkness?

DAILY READING .

• Ephesians 2; Ezekiel 6-7; Isaiah 40

Throughout his administration, American president, Abraham Lincoln was under fire, especially during the years of the Civil War. And though he knew he would make errors of office, he resolved never to compromise his integrity. So strong was this resolve that he once said, “I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside of me.”

Living as a Christian can sometimes be a lonely walk.  To live right and do what is right you will have to be careful the company you keep. The issue of keeping the right company becomes even more challenging when we live in a world where we constantly have dealings with unbelievers. As Christians, we are not called to huddle away from the world, because we are bound to have dealing with unbelievers. As long as we are in the world we are going to be meeting and relating with unbelievers at one level or the other, either as colleagues, clients, customers, relatives etc.

Often times this association, if unmonitored can become a trap the enemy uses to plot a believer’s downfall. Some believers have fallen because they were ignorant of the devil’s devices. Oftentimes we have lamented over politicians who started well as Christians, only to later backslide through continual association with unbelievers.

In as much as we do not want to be seen as bigoted, at the same time we have to be very careful in forming relationships with people outside the faith. Friendship with an unbeliever can adversely affect even strong believers, if that friendship is not carefully monitored. Paul tells us not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. If you take delight in the company of someone with worldly morals, you run the risk of being influenced by their behaviors, language, and habits. It’s a matter of time. And peer pressure is not exclusive to youths. A woman was interviewed by reporters on her 102nd birthday. When asked about the benefits of living past the century mark, she answered, “No peer pressure!”

The challenge is how we can balance being more like Lord Jesus by relating with sinners, and yet not be influenced by them. Jesus kept company with publicans and sinners, He influenced them, they didn’t influence Him.

This means that we are to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves, the serpent is said to be the most subtle of all animals, and it was through its subtlety that Eve was  deceived. This means you should be able to second guess what is going on in the head of the unbeliever. And the only way to handle this, is by being always  led by The Holy Ghost. When you are led by The Holy Ghost you can escape any trap. Inasmuch as you laugh and relate with an unbeliever always have it at the back of your mind that he is from a different kingdom, and possessed by a different spirit. It is not a relationship based on what you think, or feel, but based on the guidance of The Holy Spirit, because at the end of the day one person is bound to influence the other.

We have to be strong spiritually so as not to be easily influenced by the world we are trying to reach.

When we maintain a fervent prayer altar and feed constantly on The Word of God, we  will be strengthened by The Spirit to live as sons of God in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom we shine forth as lights.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to escape every trap the enemy tries to set for me in the area of friendships and associations. Grant me the wisdom in relating to unbelievers, so that in all I do You will always be glorified  in Jesus Name. .  

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As a child of God you have to recognize that you are in the middle of an ongoing battle. WORDBITE 222.

Isaiah 41:10

The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall. The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall.

A lot of humans are like this.  They are afraid to take a risk,  they are bound to stay where they are for one reason—fear. Fear can be paralyzing. Fear is a self imposed prison that will keep you from becoming what God intends for you to be. It tries to keep us from God’s best. It prevents us from growing and stretching the way God intends. Fear makes you  feel unqualified and imperfect for God’s assignment upon your life.  But God is not looking for perfect vessels, He is looking for yielded vessels. God will use you while you’re growing, while you’re changing.  He is at work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

When Gideon was hiding from the Midianites, God called him a “Mighty man of valor’. When Abraham was childless God called him father of many nations. This is because  God doesn’t speak to your present state, rather He speaks to your destined state.  Despite your present fears and limitations God is seeing the winner, the champion and the conqueror in you. it is therefore time to step out of whatever fear may be trying to hold you back and begin to walk in boldness to accomplish God’s vision for your lives. Indeed when we are conscious of God’s Presence around us, fear loses its power. If you are facing fear, meditate on God’s Word until faith rises in your heart. Meet your fears with faith.

In Isaiah 41:10 God says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’ When God is with you, who can be against you? Faith and fear are at opposite poles. If a man has the one, he can scarcely have the other. Therefore take God at His Word, know that He is ever with you and let His Presence make the difference in your life today

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to be a diligent student of your Word, so that I can receive the faith I need to overcome every form of fear in my life in Jesus Name.  

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The study of The Word will keep  shame and disgrace far from you.

WORDBITE 222.

2 Chronicles 26:5  ‘And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God, and as long as he sought The Lord, God made him to prosper.’

• DAILY READING Galatians 6; Ezekiel 2-3; Psalm 149
• J. L Kraft is the founder of the Kraft Cheese Company, which became the largest cheese concern in the world. He built his great company by prayer, he never made a decision without going to his knees. However, years ago as a young man, when J. L. Kraft began a small cheese business in Chicago, he failed. He was deeply in debt. A Christian friend then told him that why he failed was because he didn’t take God into his business. Then J.L Kraft thought to himself, “If God wants to run the cheese business, He can do it, and I’ll work for Him and with Him!” From that moment, God became the senior partner in his business.  Being raised in a faithful Christian family Kraft realized that he needed to reorganize his priorities. He needed to “seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33) and then all that he needed would be provided. So he decided to give a large percentage of his personal profits to the Lord in his offerings. Things turned around in a very big way for James Kraft.  As a result, the business grew and prospered and soon became the largest cheese concern in the world! And he gave 25% and more of his own personal profits to the church for the rest of his life. Later in life he made this statement: “The only investment I ever made which has paid consistently increasing dividends is the money I have given to the Lord.”

2 Chronicles 26:5 says ‘And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God, and as long as he sought The Lord, God made him to prosper.’

Indeed it is God that makes the difference in a man’s journey. When God partners with us, He strengthens us for the race. By strength shall no man prevail. It is only by grace that the race is made great. To excel in this remaining months of the year, we must consciously engage God in our endeavors. As we do, the difference will be very clear.  God’s Presence is our most valuable asset in our journey. It is God that imparts to us the wisdom to succeed.. And God’s wisdom is not common sense, it’s “heaven sense.” Because whatever is from above is above all.

Today, by the shed blood of Jesus we have been ushered into a new and living way, where success is guaranteed. As we enter this new month we must understand that it is a new season where we will be winning through engaging God in our affairs.  A new season with God is when He prepares to launch us to a new level. In this new month therefore, we are about to be launched into a new level of supernatural favor. In this season, the blood of Jesus will be speaking better things for us. The blood will empower, strengthen and deliver God’s goodness to us. No matter what has happened in the past, God is about to usher you into a place of ease and peace. Inexplicable blessings will be coming your way. Favors you may not understand will locate you. Indeed the door has opened before you, to step into a new realm of strange favors. Grace will be released for speedy accomplishments. In your family, health, finances and all areas, you are rising to a greater level. Welcome indeed to your new season.

PRAYER: Lord, by reason of the blood of Jesus my strength is renewed today to scale greater heights in the remaining part of this year. Thank You Lord, for this new season of ease and peace, in Jesus Name.   

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

[ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK TRIUMPH OF LIGHT OVER DARKNESS]