God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY APRIL 14, 2026.

SUBJECT : OBEDIENCE TO GOD BREEDS SUCCESS!

Memory verse: "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth; but you shalt meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1 vs 8.) 

READ: Psalm 1 vs 1 - 3:

1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.

1:2: But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law he meditates day and night.

1:3: He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper.

INTIMATION:

Only two paths of life lie before us—God’s way of obedience or the way of rebellion and destruction. God judges people on their faith in Him and their response to His revealed Will—His Word. Those who diligently try to obey God’s Will are blessed. These are the righteous; they are defined by their desire to seek the law of God. Their study of, and meditation on the Word of God identify them as the people of God (Second Timothy 2 vs 15). They do not simply read, but think on the things that have read. They are those whose minds are focused on godly things. Their minds are not so busied with the things of the world that they do not have time to think on God’s Word. 

The faith of the righteous is continually nourished by the Word of God (Romans 10 vs 17). God is working for the righteous. They are like healthy, fruit-bearing trees planted along a riverbank with strong roots (Jeremiah 17 vs 7 - 8), and God promises to watch over them. God’s wisdom guides their lives. In contrast, those who don’t trust and obey God have meaningless lives that blow away like dust. Be sure to choose God’s path because the path you choose determines how you will spend eternity.

You can learn how to follow God by meditating on His Word. This means spending time reading and thinking about what you have read. It means asking yourself how you should change so you will live as God wants. Knowing and thinking about God’s Word are the first steps toward applying it to your everyday life. If you want to follow God more closely, you must know what He says. The more we know of the whole scope of God’s Word, the more resources we will have to guide us in our daily decisions. The more we delight in obeying God, the more fruitful we are. 

In the passage we read today, the writer begins the Psalm extolling the joy of obeying God and refusing to listen to those who discredit or ridicule Him. The phrase “whatever he does shall prosper” does not mean immunity from failure or difficulties. Nor does it guarantee health, wealth, and happiness. What the Bible means by prosperity is this: When we apply God’s wisdom, the fruit (results or by products) we bear will be good and will receive God’s approval. Just as a tree soaks up water and bears luscious fruit, we also are to soak up God’s Word, producing actions and attitudes that honor God. To achieve anything worthwhile, we must have God’s Word in our hearts. 

God told Joshua that to succeed he must obey the rules for living found in God’s law. Often we can’t see what the results or future benefits of following God will be. When we are not certain what to do, obedience to what God has revealed in the Scriptures is the only sure step we can take. Resolve to set aside time each day to read and think about God’s Word. Remind yourself of God’s Word day and night. Act today on what you know God has said, and God will assure your success in carrying out His purposes.

God told Joshua that success and prosperity come from obeying and being controlled by Him. God said that to succeed, Joshua must (1) be strong and courageous, because the task ahead would not be easy, (2) obey God’s law, and (3) constantly read and study the Book of the Law—God’s Word. To be successful, follow God’s words to Joshua. You may not succeed by the world’s standards, but you will be a success in God’s eyes—and His opinion is most important and the final.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of obedience to, and meditation on, Your Word that I may observe to do according to all that is written in it, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Pray for His Fame

 Pray for His Fame

“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’” (Matthew 6:9)

Dozens of times Scripture says that God does things “for his name’s sake.”

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. (Psalm 23:3) 

For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt. (Psalm 25:11) 

He saved them for his name’s sake. (Psalm 106:8) 

For my name’s sake I defer my anger. (Isaiah 48:9) 

Your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. (1 John 2:12) 

If you ask what is really moving the heart of God in all those statements (and many like them), the answer is that God delights in having his name known and honored.

The first and most important prayer that can be prayed is, “Hallowed be your name.” I used to think this is an acclamation. Like, “Hallelujah! The Lord’s name is hallowed!” But it’s not an acclamation. It’s a petition. Actually a kind of imperative or command. Lord, let it be! Cause it to be. May your name be hallowed. This is my request, my prayer. I am urging you to this: Cause people to hallow your name. Cause me to hallow your name!

God loves to have more and more people “hallow” his name. That’s why his Son teaches Christians to pray for it. In fact, Jesus makes it the very first and paramount prayer. Because this is the first and great passion of the Father.

“Lord, cause more and more people to hallow your name,” that is, esteem, admire, respect, cherish, honor, reverence, and praise your name. More and more people! So, you can see it is basically a missionary prayer.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY APRIL 13, 2026.

SUBJECT: THE DUTY OF A BELIEVER TO PRAY ALWAYS!

Memory verse: "Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18 vs 1.)

READ: Acts 12 vs 5 - 10:

12:5: Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

12:6: And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.

12:7: Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off from his hands.

12:8: Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself, and tie on your sandals”, and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 

12:9: So he went out and followed him; and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

12:10: When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city; which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out, and went down one street; and immediately the angel departed from him.

INTIMATION:

Praying is a duty assigned to every believer. Apart from the specific functions God created us for in the body of Christ, one common function of all the members of the body is communing with our Father in prayers. Therefore, every believer ought to take their place in the duty of praying always. 

Since prayer is a common denominator for all believers, we all should develop the lifestyle of prayer. The most effective way of developing a lifestyle of prayer is praying at all times. How can anyone pray at all times? One way is to make quick, brief prayers your habitual response to every situation you meet throughout the day. Another way is to order your life around God’s desires and teachings so that your very life becomes a prayer. You don’t have to isolate yourself from other people and from daily work in order to pray constantly. You can make prayer your life and your life a prayer while living in a world that needs God’s powerful influence. 

It’s wrong to think you are not called or set apart to give your life to prayer. It’s a demand on all believers in the body of Christ. And it is for this reason that Jesus said in our memory verse, ‘Men always ought to pray and not lose heart.’ The apostle Paul advised all believers thus, “Pray without ceasing.” (First Thessalonians 5 vs 17). You may not have been set apart by the Spirit for other special ministries, but not in prayers, because it’s one of the only two ways (the Word and prayer) of getting acquainted with the Lord. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle Peter was arrested by King Herod and put in prison after he has killed James, and saw that it pleased the Jews. It was the Easter period, and he intended to bring him to the people after Easter to be killed also. However, constant prayers was offered by the church to God. Consequently, God sent His angel to deliver him from the prison. If the church had failed in its prayer duty the King would have succeeded in his plot to kill him. 

It is noteworthy that believers need no specialized gifts to be functional in the body of Christ. The prayer duty requires no specialities. If anyone thinks that because of lack of training or for lack of one thing or the other, he or she has no place in the body of Christ, the fellow is deluded by the enemy. We all have a place, and with the place comes responsibility, and with responsibility comes a reward or demerit. Know it now that if you don't take your place in the body of Christ, and begin to function, the body of Christ is weakened.

Therefore, one duty that you will ever perform for your family, the church, all Christians, your nation, your friends, your enemies etc, is your prayer duty. Take up your responsibilities now! Do you realize that there are people who will be utterly lost unless you take your place in your prayer duty. Unless you do your part, some people will cry against you through eternity. There are men and women who are defeated and are breaking down in their businesses, homes, and spiritual lives because we haven't prayed. Or better still, because you didn't pray. You have been occupied with your pleasures and your dreams; while men and women, staggering under the burdens you should have carried are breaking down.

It is for this reason that God said in Ezekiel 22 vs 30, "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one." The wall spoken of here is not made of stones, but of faithful people united in their efforts to resist evil. God is looking for us to take our places, stand in the gap for others, the nation, Church, our families and so on. He needs us to pray, to be in constant communion with Him, knowing that our requests are only made to Him through prayers. Give yourself, therefore, to meditation, prayer, and study of the Word. The most important thing in life is to be in the Will of the Lord. Life will not mean much outside the Will of God.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of prayer and supplication at all times, that I may take my place in the body of Christ, communing with You in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Talk to Your Tears

 Talk to Your Tears

Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalm 126:5–6)

There is nothing sad about sowing seed. It takes no more work than reaping. The days can be beautiful. There can be great hope of harvest. 

Yet the psalm speaks of sowing “in tears.” It says that someone “goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing.” So, why are they weeping?

I think the reason is not that sowing is sad, or that sowing is hard. I think the reason has nothing to do with sowing. Sowing is simply the work that has to be done, even when there are things in life that make us cry. 

The crops won’t wait while we finish our grief or solve all our problems. If we are going to eat next winter, we must get out in the field and sow the seed, whether we are crying or not.

If you do that, the promise of the psalm is that you will “reap with shouts of joy.” You will “come home with shouts of joy, bringing [your] sheaves with [you].” Not because the tears of sowing produce the joy of reaping, but because the sheer sowing produces the reaping, and you need to remember this even when your tears tempt you to give up sowing.

So, here’s the lesson: When there are simple, straightforward jobs to be done, and you are full of sadness, and tears are flowing easily, go ahead and do the jobs with tears. Be realistic. Say to your tears, “Tears, I feel you. You make me want to quit life. But there is a field to be sown (dishes to be washed, car to be fixed, sermon to be written).”

Then say, on the basis of God’s word, “Tears, I know that you will not stay forever. The very fact that I just do my work (tears and all) will in the end bring a harvest of blessing. So, go ahead and flow if you must. But I believe — though I do not yet see it or feel it fully — I believe that the simple work of my sowing will bring sheaves of harvest. And my tears will be turned to joy.”

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY APRIL 12, 2026.

SUBJECT: IDEAL ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BELIEVERS WITH UNBELIEVERS!

Memory verse: "But go and learn what it means: ‘I desire mercy not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Matthew 9 vs 13.)

READ: Mark 2 vs 15 - 17: 

2:15: Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.

2:16: And when the scribes and the Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

2:17: When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

INTIMATION:

Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and no sinner is beyond His saving power. He gladly associated Himself with sinners because He loved them, and because He knew that they needed to hear what He had to say. He spent time with all manner of people—poor, rich, bad, good, etc. Therefore, as ambassadors of Christ, our ideal witnessing for Him is reaching out to those who have need for His saving grace, no matter their kind. 

We too, must befriend those who need Christ, even if they do not seem to be ideal companions. Are there people you have been neglecting because of their reputation? They may be the ones who mostly need to meet and ensure they hear the message of Christ’s love from you. 

However, this fact of ideal witnessing has inadvertently been contrasted by many with the apostle Paul’s sayings in Second Corinthians 6 vs 14 - 16, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols....”

Here the apostle Paul advises that believers and unbelievers cannot be joined together effectively for a common purpose, such as; business partnership, marriage, etc. This is because of the difference in their beliefs. It would be a mismatch, and such can weaken the believer’s commitment, integrity or standards, especially for new converts, and those not yet deeply rooted in Christ. 

The apostle Paul had earlier explained that this does not mean isolating oneself from unbelievers which is against Christ’s leading; “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.” (First Corinthians 5 vs 9 - 10.)

Paul even urges believers to stay with their unbelieving spouses; “But to the rest, I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him” (First Corinthians 7 vs 12 - 13). 

The apostle Paul made it clear that we should not disassociate ourselves from unbelievers—otherwise we could not carry our Christ’s command to tell them about salvation (Matthew 28 vs 18 - 20). Rather, we are to distance ourselves from the person who claims to be a believer, yet indulges in sins explicitly forbidden in Scriptures by rationalizing his or her actions. By rationalizing sin, a person harms others for whom Christ died and dims the image of God in himself or herself.

He wanted believers to be active in their witness for Christ to unbelievers, but they should not lock themselves into personal or business relationships that could cause them to compromise their faith. Believers should do everything in their power to avoid situations that could force them to divide their loyalty. 

Also, the apostle Paul did not want single believers to enter into marriage with unbelievers. Such marriages cannot have unity in the most important issue in life—commitment and obedience to God. Because marriage involves two people becoming one, faith may become an issue, and one spouse may have to compromise beliefs for the sake of unity. Many people discount this problem only to regret it later. Don’t allow emotion or passion to blind you with someone who will not be your spiritual partner. 

One secret of effective witnessing for God is to recognize opportunities to relate God to person’s experience. When the opportunity arises, we must have the courage to speak out, using the situation to turn attention to God. 

PRAYER: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to be an effective witness for Christ, recognizing every opportunity, and utilizing the it to speak out and to turn attention of all around me to You and Your Good News, and in doing so without boundaries, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

You Cannot Lose in the End

 You Cannot Lose in the End

“You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” (Matthew 27:65)

When Jesus was dead and buried, with a big stone rolled against the tomb, the Pharisees came to Pilate and asked for permission to seal the stone and guard the tomb.

They gave it their best shot — in vain.

It was hopeless then, it is hopeless today, and it will always be hopeless. Try as they may, people can’t keep Jesus down. They can’t keep him buried. 

It’s not hard to figure out: He can break out because he wasn’t forced in. He let himself be libeled and harassed and blackballed and scorned and shoved around and killed.

I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. (John 10:17–18) 

No one can keep him down because no one ever knocked him down. He lay down when he was ready.

When it looks like he is buried for good, Jesus is doing something awesome in the dark. “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how” (Mark 4:26–27). 

The world thinks Jesus is done for — out of the way — but Jesus is at work in the dark places. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). He let himself be buried — “no one takes [my life] from me” — and he will come out in power when and where he pleases — “I have authority to take it up again.” 

“God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:24). Jesus has his priesthood today “by the power of an indestructible life” (Hebrews 7:16).

For twenty centuries, the world has given it their best shot — in vain. They can’t bury him. They can’t hold him in. They can’t silence him or limit him. Jesus is alive and utterly free to go and come wherever he pleases. 

Trust him and go with him, no matter what. You cannot lose in the end.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY APRIL 11, 2026.

SUBJECT : THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS!

Memory verse: "But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him." (Mark 16 vs 6.)

READ: Luke 18 vs 31 - 34:

18:31: Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man will be accomplished.

18:32: For He will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked, and insulted, and spit upon.

18:33: They will scourge Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.

18:34: But they understood none of these things; and this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken. 

INTIMATION:

Resurrection is the state of rising from the dead with new life. The bodily resurrection of Christ is the center of the Christian faith. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the central fact of Christian history. On it, the church is built; without it, there would be no Christian church today. Jesus’ resurrection is unique. Only Christianity has a God who became human, literally died for His people, and was raised again in power and glory to rule His church forever. Jesus’ resurrection is the key to the Christian faith. The Resurrection is vitally important for many reasons.

(1) Jesus kept His promise to rise from the dead, so we can be confident, therefore, that He will accomplish all He has promised. And because Christ was raised from the dead, we know that the kingdom of heaven has broken into the earth’s history. Our world is now headed for redemption, not disaster. God’s mighty power is at work destroying sin, creating new lives, and preparing us for Jesus’ second coming. 

(2) The Resurrection ensures that the ruler of God’s eternal kingdom will be the living Christ, not just an idea, hope, or dream. Jesus’ bodily resurrection shows us that the living Christ is ruler of God’s eternal kingdom, not a false prophet or impostor. We are assured that Christ is alive and ruling His kingdom. He is not a legend; He is alive and real.

(3) Christ’s resurrection gives us the assurance that we also will be resurrected. We can be certain of our resurrection because He was resurrected. Death is not the end—there is a future life. Because of the Resurrection, we know that death has been conquered and we, too, will be raised from the dead to live forever with Christ.  

(4) The power of God that brought Christ’s body back from the dead is available to us to bring our morally and spiritually dead selves back to life so that we can change and grow (First Corinthians 15 vs 12 - 15). We can now live for Him in an evil world. Death is no longer a source of dread or fear. Christ overcame it, and one day we will also since Christ has defeated it, and we have hope beyond the grave. The law will no longer make sinners out of us just because we cannot keep it.

(5) The Resurrection is the basis and authority for the church’s witness to the world. Jesus is more than just a human leader; He is the Son of God. We do not merely tell lessons from the life of a great teacher; we proclaim the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Look at the early evangelistic sermons in the book of Acts: The apostles’ most important message was the proclamation that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead. 

(6) The Resurrection gives meaning to the church’s sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Like Jesus’ followers on the Emmaus Road, we break bread with our risen Lord, who comes in power to save us. 

(7) The Resurrection helps us find meaning even in great tragedy. No matter what happens to us as we walk with the Lord, the Resurrection gives us hope for the future. 

(8) God’s power that brought Jesus back from the dead is available to us so that we can live for Him in an evil world.

Christians can look very different from one another, and they can hold widely varying beliefs about politics, lifestyle, and even theology. But one central belief unites and inspires all true Christians: Jesus Christ rose from the dead! 

People who hear about the Resurrection for the first time may need time before they can comprehend this amazing story. Like the disciples, they may pass through four stages of belief: (1) At first, they may think it is a fairly tale, impossible to believe. (2) Like the apostle Peter, they may check out the facts but still be puzzled about what happened. (3) Only when they encounter Jesus personally will they be able to accept the fact of the Resurrection. (4) Then, as they commit themselves to Jesus and devote their lives to serving Him, they will begin fully to understand the reality of His presence with them. 

Because Christ rose from the dead, as He promised, we know that what He said is true and that He is God. The Resurrection affirms the truthfulness of Jesus’ life and words. The Resurrection confirms Jesus’ unique authority to say, I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11 vs 25). Because He rose, we have certainty that our sins are forgiven. Because He rose, He lives and represents us before God. Because He rose and defeated death, we know we also will be raised. Christ’s resurrection guaranteed both His promise to us and His authority to make that promise. We must take Him at His word and believe. 

His resurrection proved His lordship over the material world. All who trust in Christ will also defeat death and rise again to live eternally with Him. Because Christ is spiritually supreme in the universe, surely we should give Him first place in all our thoughts and activities. And the driving power that carries missionaries around the world and sets Christ’s church in motion is the faith that comes from the Resurrection.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the power of Resurrection available to me to bring my morally and spiritually dead self back to life so that I can change and grow and live for You in this evil world. You have defeated death and has assured me of eternity with You, and I know that You who promised is faithful and will do it, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!