HORM Devotional

Hebrews 13:15 

‘By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name’.   DAILY READING    Acts 12; Joshua 15-17; Job 28

•

Fig trees are often used symbolically in the Scriptures.  In Israel, the fig tree was one of their most important trees. Its fruit was a staple food and was of great importance in their diet. Israeli farmers often planted fig trees in vineyards, the tree adapts to most soils, and its extensive root system enables it to endure the often long, dry climate of the Middle East. But if any fig tree is unfruitful, it would be cut down. Good soil was too scarce to be wasted on unfruitful trees. Especially in the time of Jesus, when fruit trees were taxed, any unproductive tree would also be an undesirable economic burden. Consequently, a poor fig harvest would be seen as a calamity by any farmer.

 In Jesus’ illustration of the unproductive fig tree, [Luke 13:6, 7] He spoke of a certain man who had a fig tree in his vineyard. The tree had been unproductive for three years, and the owner was about to have it cut down. But the vinedresser said: “Master, let it alone also this year, until I dig around it and put on manure; and if then it produces fruit in the future, well and good; but if not, you shall cut it down.”

When Jesus gave this illustration, He had already been preaching for three years, endeavoring to cultivate faith among the Jews. However, the week before He died, it became evident that the nation in general had rejected the Messiah.

In another instance  while traveling from Bethany to Jerusalem four days before His death, He saw a fig tree that had abundant leaves but no fruit. Normally the fig tree, unlike other trees,  provides a harvest of early figs in June and a main crop generally from August onward.  The Israelites usually ate the early crop as fresh fruits. 

Since the early figs appear along with the leaves, and sometimes even before the leaves develop,  when Jesus approached the fig tree He possibly looked for these early fruits. 

The tree’s lack of fruit was unexpected, it showed that it was worthless. [Mark 11:13, 14.]  Jesus cursed the sterile fig tree, and on the following day, the disciples noticed that it had withered. The dried-up tree signified God’s  rejection of those who would  not produce fruits. 

Hebrew 6:7-8 says ‘For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:

But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.’.

Hebrews 13:15 says ‘By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.’

The fruit of our lips is praise.

God expects the fruit of praise from us. 

Praising God is not an option for the believer, it is a commandment. 

God speaking in Malachi 2:2 says ‘And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings’ 

Is it any wonder then that Jesus cursed the fig tree? He was trying to symbolize to us the utmost importance of bringing forth fruit to God. Praise is so important. 

The Bible also says ‘Every tree that bringeth not good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.’

We  are created to continually offer up unto God, the fruits of our lips. We are under the bond of the covenant to give thanks continually to God. 2thessalonians 2:13 says ‘But we are bound to give thanks always to God…’ We are bound to do it. It is not an option. 

God has planted us on earth for the purpose of receiving the fruit of praise from us. And like every farmer He expects to receive the fruit of what He has planted. Not to Praise God is to deny Him His fruit, but when we praise Him we come under His blessing. As we praise Him, He takes care of us so that we can bring forth more fruit. So choose to be blessed today and everyday by continually offering God quality praise. And when you give God what He desires you can be sure He will give you in return that which you desire.

God is worthy of our praise. When we think of His goodness and all He has done  for us, we can’t but praise Him. 

God is the reason why we are still here today. Despite all the plans of the wicked to eliminate us, God’s will over our lives has prevailed. If it had not been for The Lord on our side where would we be? Though things may not be exactly what you want them to be, still realise that indeed God has been faithful. And as we continue to praise Him, He will surely perfect all that concerns us in due season in Jesus name. 

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to continually offer to You the fruits of praise, indeed You have been good to me, You have done all things well, and  I bless Your Holy Name forever.. .

QUOTE 

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

 [ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK REJOICE] 

Mathew 24:7 KJV 

‘Nation shall rise against nation and kingdom shall rise against kingdom:

DAILY READING – Acts 11:19-30; Joshua 13-14; Job 27

A doomsday clock hangs in the University of Chicago. 

It was set up in 1947, by the group of scientists who produced the first atomic bomb. After the U.S dropped the bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and these scientists saw the devastations of their bomb, it became too much for them to bear. They realized they had developed the most horrific weapon the world had ever seen. And so they set up the doomsday clock as a way of warning humanity of the impending danger of nuclear weapons. According to them each minute the hands of the clock inch closer to midnight, the world has inched closer to Armageddon or total destruction.  

Today, this clock is monitored by the bulletin of nuclear scientists, which includes physicists and environmental scientists from around the world, among whom are 15 Nobel laureates. They adjust the clock timing in consultation with the group’s Board of Sponsors. For the last two years, the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock has stayed set at three minutes before midnight. But following hydrogen bomb tests by the US and Russia as tension increases between both countries, in January 2017, the scientists moved the clock hand forward by 30 seconds. It is the closest the clock has come to midnight since 1953 . These scientists believe that man’s time on earth may be winding up fast. 

All these, however are only re-echoing what the bible has already prophesied. According to scriptures, part of the signs of the last days is that life on earth will be precarious; nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. This is what we see happening now in the world. Every day in the news we see conflicts and unrest arising in different nations. Fears and rumors of wars dominate News headlines. On the global scene, possibility of a nuclear war shadow international discussions. All these confirm the biblical prophecy, that the last days will be like the days of Noah, which were days of violence on the earth. So the increase in violence at this time is unsurprising. 

However in the midst of all these, we need to be assured of the covenant of protection we have with God. It is a covenant of exception, which means that what happens to the children of darkness is not permitted to happen to the children of light. There is need for us to understand that our case is different. By covenant, we are exempted from the evil. 

In Isaiah 54:17, after letting us know that no weapon formed against us shall prosper, God said it is the heritage of the servants of The Lord. That is to say divine protection is part of benefit package for servants of God. It is our heritage. You cannot serve God and still suffer what unbelievers suffer. While terror visited those in Egypt, those in Goshen enjoyed peace. 

The Bible says in Prov. 12;21 ‘there shall no evil happen to the just, but the wicked shall be filled with mischief’

Proverbs 1:33 says ‘But whosoever hearkens unto Me shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from fear of evil.’ 

What you believe is what you receive. It is unto everyone according to his or her faith. If you hear of people being kidnapped , or being robbed, do not begin to condition your mind that it could also happen to you. No! As a child of God you are under covenant. Not everyone can be a victim. Not everyone can be visited with evil. Some people are untouchable. Always know that your case is different. As a child of God your life cannot be tampered with. God says in Psalm 91 with long life shall He satisfy us. Therefore no devil is permitted to take you out before your time. Even Jesus said in John 10;18, concerning His life ‘No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself, I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again’. That is the pattern He has set for us. No man can take our lives. Jesus died young that we might live long, His blood was shed so that our blood will never be shed, His body was broken so that our body will never be broken. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him. He has paid the full price for our peace therefore affliction cannot arise a second time. Divine protection is a reality. What we need to do is to increase our knowledge of scriptures so as to know the benefits available to us from God and appropriate them by faith. Knowledge is the ticket to freedom. So as you observe the news and witness the prophetic fulfillment of end-time events, let not your heart be troubled. It doesn’t matter what may be going on in the world, what matters is what God has said. And according to scriptures Indeed our case is different. 

PRAYER:  Lord please grant me the grace to know that my case is different. By the revelation of The Spirit, through Your Word, help me to understand my covenant rights as Your child. I will always praise You for all your goodness in my life, in Jesus Name.  . 

 QUOTE 

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

[ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK SUPERNATURAL LOVE OF GOD] 

Mark 11:25-26 
‘And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any:  that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.   26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses’.

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

On April 6, 1994, the president of Rwanda’s plane was shot down over the capital city of Kigali. This assassination of the Hutu president sparked months of massacres of Tutsi tribe members by the Hutus, throughout the country. As friends and neighbors turned against each other, over one million people were killed in the genocide. 

At this time, a young girl, Immaculee Ilibagiza was home on Easter break from the National University of Rwanda, where she had been studying. As gangs of Hutus went house to house slaughtering men, women and children, to protect his only daughter, from the marauding gangs high on drugs and liquor,  Ilibagiza’s father sent her to the home of a local pastor, a Hutu man. This pastor took her in and sheltered her, along with  seven other women in a hidden 3-by-4 foot bathroom. For  three months, these women huddled silently, taking turns sitting, eating only when it was safe for food to be delivered, and flushing the toilet only when the toilet in the house’s other bathroom was flushed.

 Outside the house genocide raged around them, even as killers searched fruitlessly for her. But even in the midst the horror, Immaculee, a Christian, said she strongly felt God’s Presence. Often, she said, God will reveal things to her, such as the time He told her to have the pastor move a wardrobe in front of the  bathroom’s door to conceal it. Though the pastor hesitated, he later conceded. And not long after that, the  killers came again to search the house. Because of the wardrobe they could not see the bathroom door and so walked past  without noticing  the bathroom. 

After hiding in the bathroom for 91 days, she came out of hiding to discover that her parents and 2 brothers had been massacred. The only other survivor was her brother who had been studying in Senegal. Despite her deep hurt and pain, she realized she had to obey God’s command to forgive. In her book ‘left to tell’, she recounts later tracing one of the killers to prison and telling him she forgave him. With that forgiveness she found that she stopped having nightmares about the war. 

She later relocated to the U.S where she got married and began a new family. And today she travels the world teaching about the power of forgiveness. 

Mark 11:25-26 says ‘And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any:  that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses’.

There is indeed power in forgiveness. When God asks us to forgive, it is actually for our own benefit, because the person who suffers most is the one who does not forgive. 

People can do hurtful things, they can betray you, lie against you,  hurt you emotionally even physically, But If you keep holding on to what someone did to you, you allow their evil to live on in your heart, thereby poisoning your system. Medically it has been discovered that unforgiveness is one of the major causes of terminal illness. In fact in medical books unforgiveness is classified as a disease on its own. Doctors say harboring unforgiveness creates a state of chronic anxiety which produces excess adrenaline and cortisol, which hinders the body’s immune system. So carrying unforgiveness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. It’s actually you who is hurting. In Mathew 18:35 Jesus said we should forgive from our hearts those who have hurt us.  The truth is that in letting go of those you are holding in your heart, you are actually setting yourself free. 
PRAYER: Lord, please help me to be able to let go of hurts and pains, to forgive others just as You have forgiven me. May I never hold unforgiveness or grudges in my heart, grant me the grace to always forgive freely and  love freely in Jesus Name. .   

QUOTE 

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

 [ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK FAITH CLASSICS] 

Psalms 119:71   It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
DAILY READING   Acts 9:1-25; Joshua 3:1-5:1; Job 22

In 1936 German leader Adolf Hitler preached a flawed doctrine called ‘Aryan Supremacy’ His doctrine claimed Germans were superior beings, while other races were inferior, ‘subhuman’ and should be eliminated. This he would later carry out in his systematic killing of over 6 million Jews, gypsies, blacks, Slavs, communists, etc.

But before then, at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he wanted to prove his theory to the world by showcasing the superiority of German athletes. As athletes arrived from other nations for the games, one of those representing America was a young black man named Jesse Owens.  Jesse was unnerved by the evident disdain for the black race by the German people. But Jesse determined not to let the hatred for his race put him down, rather he decided to prove Hitler wrong before the whole world. He knew the odds were great, and he went on his knees in prayer to engage the help of God. And God did send help. 

As the competition commenced, Jesse shocked spectators with his amazing performance. He broke Olympic records and won four gold medals, more than any other athlete. This made him the most successful athlete at the games. Hitler’s  ‘Aryan Supremacy’  theory was quickly overturned as people saw that a black man of the ‘subhuman’ race had defeated the ‘superior’ Germans. Hitler was so infuriated that he refused to give Jesse the traditional congratulatory handshake. But the German people were won over, and Jesse became a crowd favorite. Hitler’s hatred instead of hindering Jesse had fueled him to become one of the greatest athletes of all times. Indeed God can use your haters to promote you.

In the journey of life, just as God has divine connections lined up, He also has people who will be used to push you. Goliaths are not for your destruction, but for your elevation. Discouragers and haters can stir you up. Those against us perhaps help us sometimes more than our friends.  God used Judas more than any of the other disciples to accomplish the mission of Jesus on earth. Without the betrayal there would have been no  crucifixion or resurrection.  Jesus knew Judas would betray him but he didn’t try to stop it. He knew Judas was playing a vital role. No wonder Jesus called him ‘Friend’ [Matthew 26:50 ].The betrayal was crucial to the salvation plan.

 So understand that your haters are serving an important purpose in your destiny. Some of your critics are the reason why you have learned how to pray. They drove you to your knees and kept you praying. We wouldn’t reach our highest potential without oppositions. If God removed some of your critics today you probably would become spiritually lazy. So God allows them sometimes as thorns on your side, to keep you pressing forward. Just as God strategically placed Goliath on David’s path and also used Joseph’s brothers; haters can push you to your throne. Without the naysayers you wouldn’t become all you were created to be. Thank God for your friends but also learn to thank God for your enemies. That’s why Paul tells us in Romans 12:20  ‘if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink’. Why? Because he is helping your destiny. You need to see people that oppose you in a new light. They are there to make you better, not bitter. They are there to press you so that the treasure buried in you can flow out. Perhaps if Hitler had not disdained  the black race, Jesse may not have pushed as hard as he did to win the 4 gold medals, and prove him wrong. So instead of being discouraged by oppositions ask God to give you the needed wisdom to thrive. It is by the wisdom of God that pressures are turned to pleasures. The Holy Spirit as you seek Him, will show you how to maximize the situation. When  you stay in faith, God will turn your stumbling blocks to stepping stones. He will turn your pain into power, and  your mourning into dancing.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to see those that oppose me through the light of your Word. Help me to know that You are using them to move me into my greater destiny. .Grant me  the grace to still love them despite what they may have done, because I know all things are working together for my good in Jesus name. .   

QUOTE 

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

[ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK TRIUMPH OF LIGHT OVER DARKNESS] 

Isaiah 59: 19  KJV
“So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him”

• .DAILY READING   Acts 7:23-8:1a; Deuteronomy 31-32; Job 19
In the recent devastation of  hurricane Harvey,  part of the worry for engineers in Houston Texas, was the possible collapse of a pair of 70 year old dams. 

Floods are usually controlled by redirecting excess water to purpose-built canals or floodways, which in turn divert the water to temporary holding ponds or dams. Examples of such flood control channel is the Red River Floodway that protects the City of Winnipeg in Canada. 

In downtown Houston two dams, the Addicks and Barker dams  have protected the region from flooding for 70 years. But during  hurricane Harvey, after one of the heaviest downpours in U.S. history, both reservoirs’ water levels rose to record highs.  And after five consecutive days of  such rain the dams began overflowing, adding to the rising floodwaters that had  virtually crippled the city.

To avert an impending crisis, in an unprecedented move, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began releasing water from these two overfilled reservoirs in west Houston. The release of the water meant that some streets were flooded, and some homes inundated with water for weeks. However the release was necessary, officials said, to ease the strain on the dams and avoid their total collapse. 

Dams are human standards raised against floods, but like other manmade structures when faced with something beyond its capacity, they tend to weaken and can even collapse. 

But unlike these human structures,  there is a standard The Holy Spirit raises against spiritual floods of life. It is an infallible structure. . 

Isaiah 59 lets us know that when the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of God will raise a standard against him. No matter the velocity and ferocity of the flood water, it will never overflow or overpower the standard raised against it by The Spirit. 

Daily the enemy attacks with floods of problems and troubles. His intention is to get your house to fall.  In Mathew 7, Jesus told us how the flood , wind, storm and the rain beat against the house that was built on the rock, but that house did not fall because it was founded upon the rock. That Rock is Christ. When our hope is built on nothing else but Christ and His Word, our house will never fall.

When the flood of trials and temptations arise, The Holy Spirit raises a restraining wall against it. This wall is the scriptures built up in your heart. If you have taken time to meditate on The Word, you will find that when troubles suddenly arise, The Word girds your mind. Your faith will be strong. As you hold on to The Word of God, floods will never overflow you. 

In Isaiah 43, God promises that even when you go through the waters, the waters will never overflow you.  He will be with you.  He will never leave you nor forsake you. 

God is committed to our deliverance. Understand that The Holy Spirit is a fighter. He will raise a shield of protection around the believer against the arrows of the wicked. He was the cloud that came between Israel and the army of pharaoh. While He gave light to Israel He gave darkness to pharaoh and his army. The same way He will turn the light into darkness for your enemies. He will fight against the plans of the wicked concerning you. .

The Holy Spirit is the seal that protects the believer. Just as a manufacturer places a seal over his product to shield and protect it, so God has placed the seal of The Spirit around the believer to shield us from the evil in the world. This shield does not allow any flood to touch you. This is why when you carry The Spirit you don’t have to fear because you are under divine cover. It is an impenetrable, unbreakable threefold shield, because your life is hid in Christ and Christ is hid in God.  So as you go about today, take time to pray in the Holy Ghost to activate this divine shield.  Under divine cover, you become truly untouchable.  
PRAYER: Lord, Please grant me the grace to be continually filled with Your Word and Your Spirit so that I can remain under divine cover, where I become untouchable to every flood of the enemy. Thank You Lord  for surrounding always by Your Spirit, in Jesus Name. .   

QUOTE 

When you obey God’s instruction you are delivered from destruction 
[ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK TRIUMPH OF LIGHT OVER DARKNESS]