HOW TO ENSURE THE FULFILLMENT OF A PROPHECY!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JANUARY 16, 2022.

SUBJECT : HOW TO ENSURE THE FULFILLMENT OF A PROPHECY!

Memory verse: "This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare." (First Timothy 1 vs 18.) 

READ: Second Peter 1 vs 19 - 21:

1:19: And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 

1:20: knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 

1:21: for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

INTIMATION:

In the Scriptures, prophecy signifies the speaking forth of the mind and counsel of God. Every prophecy is God's plan unfolded through a human vessel. It is the forth-telling of the will of God, whether with reference to the past, the present, or the future, through the spoken or written word of God. It is also a prophetic prediction of the future. Though much of the Old Testament prophecy was purely predictive, it is not necessarily, nor even primarily fire-telling. It is a declaration of that which cannot be known by natural means; it is the knowledge of the future (usually said to be obtained from a divine source), and uttered under divine inspiration.

In the passage we read today, the apostle Peter stated that, "Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." What this means is that the Scriptures did not come from the creative work of the prophets' own invention or interpretation. God inspired the writers, so their message is authentic and reliable. God used the talents, education, and cultural background of each writer; and God cooperated with the writers in such a way to ensure that the message He intended was faithfully communicated in the very words they wrote.

So whatever God says to you through the Scriptures or through a human vessel (in prophecy) is His plan for you, and as far as He is concerned, it is settled. But what many Christians don't understand is that most prophecies don't get fulfilled without the application of certain kingdom forces.

You don't watch prophecies, you war with them, until they come into reality. In fact, a prophecy may look like falsehood or mockery, if you don't know what it takes to make it happen. There are oppositions that have set themselves to block your access into your promise land, so you must do something to make that prophecy a reality. 

To ensure the fulfillment of prophecy, you war with it, by going to God in prayers with the spoken word (the prophecy), reminding Him of His commitment to perform what He has spoken. Then you turn to the enemy and declare what is written concerning you, and that his  activities are forbidden around you. 

God asks you to "Present your case, ...Bring forth your strong reasons." (Isaiah 41 vs 21.) Therefore, come before Him in prayers, reminding Him of what He said. He compels you to come and contend together with Him on what He said; stating your case appropriately before Him, that you may be acquitted, (See Isaiah 43 vs 26). Take His Word back to Him. God is faithful and He cannot deny Himself. He is committed to do anything He has said. 

For instance, in Deuteronomy 2 vs 24, God said to the children of Israel, "Rise, take your journey, and cross over the River Arnon. Look , I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, King of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it and engage him in battle." God had given the children of Israel the land, but the devil somewhere is saying, "No, you can't have it." God's instruction to them was, "Rise up! Don't sit there expecting it to drop into your laps! Begin to possess what is yours; challenge and fight any opposition to your possessing what is given to you. And because God has spoken and given to you, the battle is already won if you obey because the battle is of the Lord’s. This tells you that you don't wait for things to happen, you make them happen. 

God says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29 vs 11.) God has good thoughts and plans of a glorious future for us all. And He shows us how to bring them to pass: "Then you will call upon Me, and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me, and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”  (Jeremiah 29 vs 12 - 13.)

That means, "When you wait and you don't see the things I told you of, come and ask Me of them in prayers." It takes intercession and seeking the face of God to see the fulfillment of the great plans and visions He had told you about. God has set an expected end before you, but you must call upon Him and seek Him with all your heart if you want to enjoy it. Your seeking Him is an indication that you have faith in Him, and believes He can do what He has said.

The Scripture says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11 vs 6.) God assures us that all who honestly seek Him—who act in faith on the knowledge of God that they possess—will be rewarded.

Any Word of God or prophecy that you have received and believed will surely bring forth when you apply the relevant force or power of prayer to it. The Word is a seed (Luke 8 vs 11); but no matter how precious any seed may be, without planting the seed, it will never germinate, and without watering it when it is planted, it will die in the ground. Planting the seed of the Word is tantamount to believing the Word and exercising your faith in Him. Watering the planted seed is tantamount to applying the relevant prayer force or manure, as instructed by God, for effective reaping of the harvest resulting from the yield of the planted and nurtured seed.

Maybe you have sat down with that word too long. You can't keep on saying, "It will come to pass one day." Or keep saying, "Let the Will of God be done," nothing will happen without proper work. Rise up now and do what it takes to make it come to pass. Pray it down! May you never fail to obtain your promise from God in prophecy, in Jesus’ name. 

Prayer: Abba Father, forever Your Word is settled in heaven. Give me the grace to contend with You in prayers, that I may receive from You according to Your Word which You hasten to perform, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

 

Surrender

 

Today : Surrender

 

TODAY’S VERSE
“Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God.” Romans 6:12-13 (NLT)

 

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Sometimes we emphasize the wrong thing. We try to stop the darkness instead of turning on the light. We punish negative behavior and never reward what is done right. We save our money so tightly that we don’t spend money on great opportunities that come our way. It seems that Paul was going to do the same thing. He writes, “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin.” Now how hard is that? How joyful will that experience be? Don’t get me wrong, Paul is completely right! We must watch sin in our life. We dare not get loose with our life and live out sinful whims. But there is a better way. Paul finishes his thoughts by saying, “Instead, give yourselves completely to God.” How much better is that? There is real wisdom here, a real balance. If we give our self completely to God, will He not help us with the sin issue? Won’t the Holy Spirit guide us and direct us toward a righteous life? It is like the old saying, “Love God and do as you please.” If we truly love God we will only do what honors Him. So today, let’s combat sin in our life in a different way. Let’s resist sin by giving our self and everything we do and think today, completely to God.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I come to You today and completely surrender to Your control. Guide me, direct me, help me live the way You want me to. I give myself completely to You.
AMEN

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION & MEDITATION
I give myself completely to God
Quiet yourself for a moment and consider how much do you really surrender yourself to God? Visualize God coming to you and saying, “Give your life completely to me.” What is your first feeling? Is it apprehension? Is it fear? Is it anger or mistrust? Be honest. God already knows. Tell Him about it. Tell Him how you feel and ask for His help. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you in such a way that you better understand Him and yourself. Spend a quiet moment with Him and when you are ready, by faith affirm, “I give myself completely to God.”

THE NEED FOR NIGHT PRAYERS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JANUARY 15, 2022.

SUBJECT: THE NEED FOR NIGHT PRAYERS! 

Memory verse: "Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches pour out your heart like water before the face of the LORD. Lift up your hands toward Him for the life of your young children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street.” (Lamentations 2 vs 19.)

READ: Matthew 13 vs 24 - 25:

13:24: Another parable He put forth to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, 

13:25: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away.

INTIMATION:

Prayer is the greatest privilege and ministry available to all Christians. Indeed everyone who seeks to take his or her place in the kingdom of God should seek or learn how to pray effectively. Because prayer is, in itself, our fellowship with the Father, He awaits us to come to him in prayers, and consequently welcomes us into fellowship with Him. Prayer is very essential for every Christian. It is noteworthy that our Master. Jesus, never taught His disciples how to preach but rather taught them how to pray. He said to His disciples "When you pray" and not "If you pray," therefore, He requires us to be in fellowship with the Father always.

Prayer is the key to constant maintenance of God’s grace in our lives. A disciplined prayer life entails going to God in prayers often, preferably three times a day; morning, afternoon and night. The psalmist in Psalm 55 vs 17 says: “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice" 

Praying in the night hours is considered the best timing as our prayers are usually interrupted during the day by the pressures of our daily schedule. In the night our concentration is highest, and our fellowship most effective. Night prayers arm us most effectively to overcome the overwhelming evils in the world. The evil doers usually perpetrate their evils in the night hours when most Christians are resting in their beds. 

In the passage we read today, Jesus told His followers a parable saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away......" (Matthew 13 vs 24 - 25.) "While men slept" the evil doers—men of the underworld—are up in their covens, in their shrines, to perpetrate evil under the cover of darkness. 

When you fellowship with the Lord in prayers in the night hours, you are in His presence; the place of maximum protection, and the glory of God expels any form of darkness around you. The prince of this world and his cohorts cannot operate in His presence; for ‘He disappoints their devices so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.’ (Job 5 vs 12.)

Jesus Christ, in His ministry on earth, has always gone up to the mountains in the night hours to pray—communing with the Father, and obtaining all the powers required for His exploits; charged up fully in the night hours of prayers in readiness for daily exploits. Then, in the day time, He only gives thanks to the Father who always hears Him in their communion in the night: "Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." (Luke 6 vs 12.)

Jesus has always chosen the night to isolate Himself to pray to the Father. His concentration in His fellowship with the Father in the night hours is at its max. No distractions of any sorts. This practice of fellowshipping with the Father and our Messiah Jesus, in the night hours, is very essential for every Christian to win our battles against the devil and his cohorts. Our battles with them is not physical, but spiritual; "For though we walk in the flesh! we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for the pulling down strongholds," (Second Corinthians 10 vs 3 - 4.) 

Praying at the end of the day (at night) is an opportunity to thank the Lord for the blessings He gives and protection He provided us to live another day. Finishing your day with prayer is a powerful way to let go of anxiety and find peace before falling asleep. Regardless of what you suffered in the day, talking to God through a night prayer will revive your faith and assist you to sleep in peace. 

Night prayers also help you review all the experiences during your day and the ways that God has been present with you. Bedtime is the perfect time of day to look back on your day and count your blessings. By praying at bedtime allows you to stop and think about all the things that happened to you during the day, and take those moments to feel the gratitude and appreciation for all the little moments.

To effectively war with the devil and his cohorts we are required to arm ourselves with the whole armor of God; “Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6 vs 11 - 12.) It’s noteworthy that the whole armor of God is centered on prayer. And engaging in the spiritual warfare in prayers with the whole armor is most effective in the night hours when your concentration is at its pick.

Prayer: Abba Father, in the night hours I will come to You in prayer with my whole heart and being. I am persuaded that my petitions will receive Your attention, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

 

Your Spiritual Gifts

Today : Your Spiritual Gifts

 

TODAY’S VERSE
“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” Romans 12:6-8 (NLT)

 

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Are you aware that God has given you certain passions and abilities to use for His glory? God has given every believer at least one spiritual gift for doing His will in this world. And then His Holy Spirit nudges you to use it through a strong desire to serve Him in a way that seems to make sense for you. Paul gives examples like serving, teaching, giving and leadership. So if different people all see a need, like helping the homeless in the community, He could motivate one to serve food at a shelter, another to teach at a job readiness class, another to give of their income to provide for the needed shelter and yet another to lead a church to get involved. Each person reacted to the same problem through the way God motivated them, using the gifts he blessed them with. Today, ask God to reveal to you the different ways you could
serve Him. He has given you spiritual gifts and will show you when and where to use them.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, thank You that You have given me spiritual gifts. Help me learn everything I can about them and help me use them for your glory.
AMEN

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION & MEDITATION
I seek to use the Spiritual Gifts God has given me
Today try to discern what your spiritual gift is. Be your own observer. Ask God to give you wisdom and then begin to scan your own passions. Look at your life, as if you are looking down from above. Observe what kinds of situations burdens you? What passions do you seem to have? When you move to correct a situation how do you do it? What actions have you taken that seem as if they God directed? As God reveals to you your Spiritual Gifts, as Him to help you use them

BE ETERNITY CONSCIOUS IN YOUR BRIEF LIFE ON EARTH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JANUARY 14, 2022.

SUBJECT : BE ETERNITY CONSCIOUS IN YOUR BRIEF LIFE ON EARTH!

Memory verse: "Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." (James 4 vs 14.)

READ: Psalm 39 vs 4 - 6:

39:4: Lord make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.

39:5: Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You.

39:6: Surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them.

INTIMATION:

Life on earth is the period between birth and death. And because it has a beginning and an end, it is temporary, and not permanent. The brevity of life is a theme throughout the books of Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. The Bible is full of metaphors that teach about the brief, temporary, transient nature of life on earth. The earth is not your permanent home or final destination. You're just passing through, just visiting earth. The Bible uses terms like alien, pilgrim, foreigner, stranger, visitor, and traveler to describe our temporary and brief stay on earth. 

Ironically, people spend so much time securing their lives on earth but take little or no thought about life after here; where they will spend eternity. They are busy with the things that are temporary, but neglecting the things that are permanent. Amassing riches and busily accomplishing worldly tasks would make no difference in eternity. Few people understand that their only hope is in the Lord. The only thing that matters in eternity is your relationship with your Maker, and it is the relationship built with Him that you takes to eternity. All other things you have acquired, built, accomplished and so on, are abandoned here on earth to the cares of others, and they will one day perish.

To make the best use of your life is to build a superb relationship and fellowship with the Lord which is the only thing that qualifies you for eternity with Him, and your mansion in His house. Realizing that life is short helps us use the little time we have more wisely for eternal good, and don't get too attached to this world. May God help you see life on earth as He sees it. 

In First Peter 2 vs 11, the apostle Peter stated, "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul." As believers, we are "sojourners and pilgrims" in this world, because our real home is with God. Our true loyalty should be to our citizenship in heaven, not to our temporary stay here, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3 vs 20.) How prepared are you to receive Him at His coming?

Real believers understand that there is far more to life than just the few years we live on this planet, and their homeland is heaven. When you grasp this truth, you will stop worrying about "having it all" on earth. God is very blunt about the danger of living for the here and now and adopting the values, priorities, and lifestyles of the world around us. When we flirt with the temptations of this world, God calls it spiritual adultery:

"Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4 vs 4.)

We are in the world and constantly in association with the world, its standards, and circumstances. Though we are in the world, but we are not of this world (John 15 vs 19). The prince of this world is the greatest enemy of God, and by extension, our greatest enemy. "We are ambassadors of Christ" (Second Corinthians 5 vs 20). As an ambassador you will not be able to isolate yourself from the rulership of the prince of this world where you have your ambassadorial assignment. To fulfill your mission, you would have to have contact with the world.

God warns us not to get too attached to what's around us because it's temporary, "For the form of this world is passing away" (First Corinthians 7 vs 31). The cares of this world; financial security, self actualization, worldly happiness, marriage, and so on, are not the ultimate goal of life. As much as possible, we should live unhindered by the cares of this world, not getting involved in burdensome life activities that might keep you from doing God's work.

Compared with other centuries, life has never been easier for much of our world today. The advancement in technology has made life much more easier and enjoyable. We are  constantly entertained, amused, and catered for. With all the fascinating attractions, mesmerizing media, and enjoyable experiences available today, it's easy to forget that the pursuit of happiness is not what life is about. Only as we remember that life is a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment will the appeal of these things lose their grip on our lives. 

Life is short no matter how long we live. Be conscious of the two divides in eternity—heaven and hell. Take time to number your days by asking, “Where do I want to be in eternity?” “What do I want to see happen in my life before I die? What small step could I take toward that purpose today?” If you want to be with the Lord, deal with an undisciplined area in your life, and tell someone about Jesus. Because life is short, don’t neglect what is truly important.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to be eternity conscious, and not be consumed in seeking after the cares of the world that are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Warm Your Heart

 

Today : Warm Your Heart

 

TODAY’S VERSE
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32 (NIV)

 

TODAY’S THOUGHT
When was the last time you really experienced the presence of God? I mean more than just head knowledge but a time you really felt His presence? You see, we were meant to know God, not just know about Him. Isn’t that the way it should be with someone you love? Isn’t real love more than a “head” knowledge? Love was meant to be experienced, not just studied. It’s the same with God. Stop and close your eyes, focus on a time you really felt the presence of God. When you get that image, relive it again in your mind. Do you remember what it was like? Did your heart burn within you? Paul writes, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” He says that knowing God’s love surpasses knowledge. If that doesn’t warm you up, what will? We were meant to experience God or as Paul says it, “be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” I pray that today you will be conscious of His presence and have a deep and meaningful relationship with Him.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I long to know You in a more deep and intimate way. Guide me into Your presence. Reveal more of Yourself to me. I pray that I may really grasp all the love You have for me. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION & MEDITATION
I experience the love of God
Sit quietly and think of a time when you felt the presence of God. Perhaps it was in church, or while vacationing in natures beauty. Perhaps it was an answer to prayer or a realization of truth. Was it a devotional time and God spoke to you? Fix your mind on that experience and sense what it felt like. As you begin to recall the experience let it seep into the present moment. Invite God to make His presence known to you now. Welcome Him, focus on His love for you. As you meditate on His love let Him warm your heart and surpass your knowledge. Affirm, “I experience the love of God.”

OUR EVER MERCIFUL GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JANUARY 13, 2022.

SUBJECT : OUR EVER MERCIFUL GOD!

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

READ Isaiah 1 vs 18 - 20:

18: "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

19: If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;

20: But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword", for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

 

INTIMATION:

Mercy is the outward manifestation of pity. It assumes need on the part of him who receives it, and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it. Mercy is used of God who is rich in mercy. He is merciful to those who fear Him (Luke 1 vs 50), for they also are compassed with infirmity, and He alone can succor them. Hence they are to pray to Him boldly for mercy (Hebrews 4 vs 16). 

God’s desire is to show mercy to deserving guilty persons. The ‘deserving guilty persons’ are those who are guilty of sin, acknowledge their sin, and have come to Him to ask for forgiveness. They are aware they cannot help or save themselves, and that only Him can save them. God is so merciful that no matter the guilt or sin, He is willing to forgive those who genuinely come to Him for forgiveness. 

Never let guilt feelings of sin keep you from praying (seeking the face of God), which is your only means of restoration, because only God forgives sin. Do you feel that you could never come close to God because you have done something terrible? God can and will forgive you of any sin, except the sin against the Holy Spirit, that is, the deliberate refusal to acknowledge God, and His power in Christ, expressed through the Holy Spirit. It indicates a deliberate and irreversible hardness of heart. It reveals a heart attitude of unbelief and unrepentance, that attributes to Satan the work that the Holy Spirit accomplishes. 

Those with the hardened heart have turned their back on God, have rejected all faith, and are unwilling to ask for forgiveness. Even when they receive the prompting of the Holy Spirit, convicting them of sin, they reject it. And the deliberate rejection of the work of the Holy Spirit is blasphemy, because it is rejecting God Himself. Such people remove themselves from the only force that can lead them to repentance and restoration to God.

No matter how long you have been away from God, He is ready to hear from you and restore you to a right relationship with Him. Every situation can be salvaged if you are willing to turn to God. For instance, in Judges 16 vs 28 - 30,  we would observe that in spite of Samson's past, God still answered his prayer and destroyed the philistines' heathen temple and worshipers. He killed more people at his death than he did in life because of the mercy of God when he turned to Him in prayer.

In the list of corrupt kings amongst the Israelites, Manasseh would rank near the top. His life was a catalog of evil deeds including idol worship, sacrificing his own children, and temple desecration. Eventually, however, he realized his sins and cried out to God for forgiveness. And God, full of mercy, listened. If God can forgive Manasseh, surely He can forgive anyone. Are you burdened by overpowering guilt? Do you doubt that anyone could forgive what you have done? Take heart—until death, no one is beyond the reach of God’s mercy and forgiveness.

One of the effects of sin in our lives is keeping us away from praying, but it is noteworthy that perfect moral behavior is not a condition for prayer. Though the stain of sin seems permanent, but only God can remove such stain of sin from our lives. We don't have to go through life permanently soiled. God's Word assures that if we are willing and obedient in turning to Him, Christ will forgive and remove our most indelible stains of sin.

Christ came for sinners like you and I, and He expects us—the sinners—to come to Him for mercy. We can only go to God in prayer, acknowledging our need and admitting that we don't have all the answers, and God will come to our help. He desires to show mercy and His mercy endures forever.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are the our Merciful Father, always desiring to show mercy to the guilty who desire Your forgiveness of their sins. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your loving kindness, and tender mercies, in Jesus name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!