Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2026.

SUBJECT: BE JOYFUL ALWAYS!

Memory verse: "Rejoice always.” (First Thessalonians 5 vs 16.)

READ: Philippians 4 vs 4; First Peter 1 vs 6 - 9:

Philippians 4:4: Rejoice in the Lord always!Again I will say, rejoice.

First Peter 1:6: In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,

1:7: that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

1:8: whom having not seen, you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

1:9: receiving the end of your faith-the salvation of your souls. 

INTIMATION:

The demeanor of Christian life-style is one of being joyful always. If a Christian has a cantankerous demeanor, he must repent. One result of the joyful life is gentleness or forbearance toward others. Every Christian should have a reputation for being a patient and longsuffering person toward the faults and weaknesses of others. If one is forbearing, then his or her joy will not be stolen away by his or her own impatience with others. 

Pessimistic and fatalistic attitudes should not be the characteristics of the followers of Jesus. The transformed mind must change from such negative attitudes of life, even in times of trials. They should endure trials knowing that all things are working together for good for them that love God.

When things are going well, we feel elated. When hardships come, we sink into depression. But true joy transcends the rolling waves of circumstances. Joy comes from a consistent relationship with Jesus Christ. When our lives are intertwined with His, He will help us walk through adversity without sinking into debilitating lows and manage prosperity without moving into deceptive highs. The joy of living with Jesus Christ daily will keep you levelheaded, no matter how high or low your circumstance.

Joy is a common theme in Christ’s teachings—He wants us to be joyful. The key to immeasurable joy is living in intimate relationship with Christ, the source of all joy. When we do, we will experience God’s special care and protection and see the victory God brings even when defeat seems certain. Ultimate joy comes from Christ dwelling within us. Christ is near, and at His second coming we will fully realize this ultimate joy. He who lives within us will fulfill His final purpose for us.

True joy is far deeper than happiness; we can feel joy in spite of our deepest troubles. Happiness is temporary because it is based on external circumstances, but joy is lasting because it is based in God’s presence within us. As we contemplate His daily presence, we will find contentment. As we understand the future He has for us, we will experience joy. Don’t base your life on circumstances, but on God who controls circumstances. To find hope and joy, the deepest form of happiness, follow Jesus no matter the cost. To be blessed by God means the experience of hope and joy, independent of outward circumstances. 

In our anchor Scripture the apostle Paul was encouraging the believers in Philippi to be joyful. It seems strange that a man in prison would be telling a church to rejoice. But Paul’s attitude teaches us an important lesson: Our inner attitudes do not have to depend on our outward circumstances. The apostle Paul was full of joy because he knew that no matter what happened to him, Jesus was with him. 

Several times in his letter the apostle Paul urged the Philippians to be joyful, probably because they needed to hear this, being convinced that in Christ all things work together for the good of the believer. It’s easy to get discouraged about unpleasant circumstances or to take unimportant events seriously. And if you haven’t been joyful lately, you may not be looking at life from the right perspective.

Prayer: Abba Father, Your thought for me is of good not of evil. I am persuaded that all things are working together for my good because of my love for, and trust in You. Give me the grace to remain thankful and joyful in You in all circumstances, knowing that all things are under Your control, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Power of a Superior Promise

 The Power of a Superior Promise

I shall walk in freedom, for I have sought your precepts. (Psalm 119:45, my translation)

An essential element of joy is freedom. None of us would be happy if we were not free from what we hate and free for what we love.

And where do we find true freedom? Psalm 119:45 says, “I shall walk in freedom, for I have sought your precepts.”

The picture is one of open spaces. The word frees us from smallness of mind. “God gave Solomon . . . breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore” (1 Kings 4:29). The word frees us from threatening confinements. “He brought me out into a broad place” (Psalm 18:19).

Jesus says, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). The freedom he has in mind is freedom from the slavery of sin (John 8:34). Or, to put it positively, it is freedom for holiness.

The promises of God’s grace provide the power that makes the demands of God’s holiness an experience of freedom rather than fear and confinement. Peter described the freeing power of God’s promises like this: “Through [his precious and very great promises] you become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Peter 1:4).

In other words, when we trust the promises of God, we sever the root of corruption and sinful desire by the power of a superior promise.

How crucial is the word that breaks the power of counterfeit pleasures! And how vigilant we should be to light our paths and load our hearts with the word of God!

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2026.

SUBJECT : YOUR PART IN GOD’S BLESSINGS!

Memory verse: "Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments." (Psalm 112 vs 1.)

READ: Psalm 34 vs 4 - 14:

34:4: I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

34:5: They looked to Him, and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.

34:6: This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

34:7: The angel of the LORD encamps round those who fear him, and delivers them.

34:8: Oh taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

34:9: Oh fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.

34:10: The young lions lack, and suffer hunger, but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

34:11: Come, you children, listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

34:12: Who is the who man desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?

13 Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.

34:14: Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

34:15: The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.

INTIMATION:

Blessing is a fortune, grace, or gift from God. He promises great blessings to His people, but many of these blessings require active participation on the part of the people. For instance, the passage we read today says; He will set us free from fears, deliver us from trouble, guard and defend us, show us goodness, supply our needs, listen when we call on Him, and redeem us. But we must do our part. We can appropriate His blessings when we have the fear of the Lord in us, seek Him, cry out to Him, trust Him, refrain from lying, turn from evil, do good, and search for peace, are broken-hearted, and serve Him. 

Many blessings are available to us if we fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands. We must revere Him and gladly obey Him. The Bible often connects the fear of the Lord (love and reverence for Him) with obedience. King Solomon said that the conclusion of the matter on the whole duty of man is to “Fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12 vs 13). 

To fear the Lord is to give Him deep respect, reverence, obedience, and honor. We demonstrate this attitude by humility and genuine worship. Reverence is much more than sitting quietly in church. It includes obeying God in the way we speak and the way we treat others. We do all as a result of recognizing His awesomeness. In order to be God’s child, one must have a right attitude toward God that results in a life-style of obedience to His Will. Obedience to God begins with humility. We must believe that His way is better than our own. We may not always understand His ways of working, but by humbly obeying, we will receive His blessings. God wants our obedience more than anything else. 

When we take that first step of obedience in following God, we will discover that He is good and kind. Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6 vs 33.) Seeking first the kingdom of God is His Will, and if you do, He will shower all His blessings on you! When we begin the Christian life, our knowledge of God is partial and incomplete. As we trust Him daily, we experience how good He is. Great blessings come to those who obey His commands, but severe punishment comes to those who disobey Him. This punishment may come swiftly or over time, but it will come. 

Certain things keep us from God’s ultimate blessings. These include; ungrateful hearts, not worshiping or submitting to Him, hardening our hearts, trying God’s patience because of stubborn doubts. Don’t harden your hearts, but reject the glamour of sin and anything else that would lead us away from God. Along with God’s blessings comes the responsibility to live up to His demands of fairness, honesty and justice. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of complete obedience to You, that I will honor and serve You with all my heart, mind, strength, and power, doing Your will at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Live Confident in God’s Sovereign Power

The immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe . . . (Ephesians 1:19)

The omnipotence of God means eternal, unshakable refuge in the everlasting glory of God no matter what happens on this earth. And that confidence is the source and power of radical obedience to the call of God. 

Is there anything more freeing, more thrilling, or more strengthening than the truth that God Almighty is your refuge — all day, every day, in all the ordinary and extraordinary experiences of life?

If we believed this, if we really let this truth of God’s omnipotence get hold of us, what a difference it would make in our personal lives and in our ministries! How humble and powerful we would become for the saving purposes of God! 

The omnipotence of God means refuge for the people of God. And when you really believe that your refuge is the omnipotence of God Almighty, there is a joy and a freedom and a power that spills over in a life of radical obedience to Jesus Christ.

The omnipotence of God means reverence, recompense, and refuge for his covenant people. 

I invite you to accept the terms of his covenant of grace: Turn from sin and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ; and the omnipotence of God Almighty will be the reverence of your soul, the recompense of your enemies, and the refuge of your life — forever.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2026. 

SUBJECT: WHEN YOU ARE WEAK TO PRAY! 

Memory verse: "What and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mark 14 vs 38.) 

READ: Matthew 26 vs 36 - 41:

26:36: Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there."

26:37: And He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 

26:38: Then He said to them, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch with Me."

26:39: He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

26:40: Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?"

26:41: Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

INTIMATION:

Weakness in prayer is a common human experience where physical exhaustion, and mental fatigue due to long days, and lack of rest which deplete the energy needed to stay focused and alert during prayer. There are also times of wandering thoughts, mounting life pressures which easily choke concentration and quietness. 

Other situations abound when you probably may face many problems that wear you down. For instance, you deal with irritating people whom you must love and serve, you face the burden of unfinished tasks or lack of obvious results, you cope with helpers who let you down or fail to comprehend. 

There are also periods of spiritual dryness; seasons of quietness or a feeling that heaven is silent which can drain motivation and enthusiasm. You are overwhelmed and don't know what to say due to human limitation since we often cannot see the full picture or know what to ask for in specific trials resulting to lack of words that makes connecting with God feel difficult. 

The good news is that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness by interceding for us: "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the Will of God." (Romans 8 vs 26 -27.) 

Weakness in prayer is mostly not about how to pray, but about what to pray; 'For we do not know what to pray, but the Spirit helps us.' The explanation is that when you do not know what to pray as you ought, the Spirit intercedes for you with groanings too deep for words. This is a form of divine help that strengthens our prayer life. 

Jesus prayed and strengthened Peter so he could lead the disciples and spread the gospel. When you are weak to pray, let this knowledge carry you. It's about allowing the Spirit of God to carry you when you don't have the strength to carry yourself.

The Scriptures, in Second Corinthians 12 vs 9, says what Jesus said to the apostle Paul; "And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you for My strength is made perfect in weakness." God's power is made perfect in human weakness. You do not have to be strong or eloquent to pray. The fact that God's power is displayed in our weaknesses should give us hope.

As we recognize our limitations, we will depend more on God for our effectiveness rather than on our own energy, effort, or talent. Our limitations not only help develop Christian character, but also deepen our worship, because in admitting them, we affirm God's strength. Admitting your inability is not a failure; it is the core of authentic prayer, which shifts reliance from your own effort to God's grace.

Remember that in times of great stress, you are vulnerable to temptation, even if you have a willing spirit. Jesus explained how to resist: (1) Keep watch and keep It simple. Do not force long, complex prayers. Offer short, honest sentences acknowledging your tiredness as you stay awake, Also be morally vigilant. Spend a few minutes in stillness instead of trying to fill every second with noise or repetitive words.

(2) Pray to God using Scriptures: Read a short psalm or a verse like Psalm 18 or Romans 8 and turn those exact words back into your prayer to God. Ask for brace, simply tell God, "I am weak today, please give me the grace and strength to pray." This is how you maintain your vigilance.

(3) Seek support of friends and loved ones; this is how you build up your resistance and help others; when one is weak, others are strong. 

Remember, nothing threatens darkness like a praying Christian. Everyone can teach and preach about prayer, but not everyone can genuinely pray because it is a heavy sacrifice to push in prayer, more especially when you are growing spiritually. It's important that a Christian should keep alert and pray. 

Keeping alert means being aware of the possibilities of temptation, sensitive to the subtleties, and being spiritually equipped to fight it. Because temptation strikes where we are most vulnerable, we can't resist it alone. Prayer is essential because God's strength can shore up our defenses and defeat Satan's power. One may not desire to fall into temptation, but we must never underestimate the power of the lust of the flesh to lead one astray into sin. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my current situation is well over my head that I cannot adequately commune with you in prayer. I rely on my Senior Partner, the Holy Spirit to make intercessions for me. O Lord, You searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, He makes intercession for me the according to Your Will, in Jesus’ mighty Name I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

Life Hangs on the Word of God

 Life Hangs on the Word of God

He said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy 32:46–47)

The word of God is not a trifle; it is a matter of life and death. If you treat the Scriptures as a trifle or as empty words, you forfeit life.

Even our physical life depends on God’s word, because by his word we were created (Psalm 33:6; Hebrews 11:3), and “he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3).

And our spiritual life begins by the word of God: “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth” (James 1:18). “You have been born again . . . through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).

Not only do we begin to live by God’s word, but we also go on living by God’s word: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3).

So our physical life is created and upheld by the word of God, and our spiritual life is quickened and sustained by the word of God. How many stories could be gathered to bear witness to the life-giving power of the word of God!

Indeed, the Bible is “no empty word for you” — it is your life! The foundation of all joy is life. Nothing is more fundamental than sheer existence — our creation and our preservation. 

All this is owing to the word of God’s power. By that same power, he has spoken in Scripture for the creation and sustenance of our spiritual life. Therefore, the Bible is no empty word, but is your very life — the foundation and kindling of your joy!

Jesus’s Pursuit of Joy

 Jesus’s Pursuit of Joy

[Look] to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

Does the example of Jesus contradict the principle of Christian Hedonism? Namely, that love is the way of joy and that one should choose it for that very reason, lest one be found begrudging obedience to the Almighty or chafing under the privilege of being a channel of grace or belittling the promised reward.

Hebrews 12:2 seems to say fairly clearly that Jesus did not contradict this principle.

The greatest labor of love that ever happened was possible because Jesus pursued the greatest imaginable joy, namely, the joy of being exalted to God’s right hand in the assembly of a redeemed people: “For the joy that was set before him [he] endured the cross!”

In saying this, the writer means to give Jesus as another example, along with the saints of Hebrews 11, of those who are so eager for and confident in the joy God offers that they reject the “fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25) and choose ill-treatment in order to be aligned with God’s will.

It is not unbiblical, therefore, to say that at least part of what sustained Christ in the dark hours of Gethsemane was the hope of joy beyond the cross. This does not diminish the reality and greatness of his love for us, because the joy in which he hoped was the joy of leading many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10).

His joy is in our redemption, which redounds to God’s glory. We share the joy with Jesus and God gets the glory.