THE BOOK OF THE LAW—THE BIBLE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 04, 2024.

SUBJECT : THE BOOK OF THE LAW—THE BIBLE!

Memory verse: "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth; but you shall meditate on 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 - 8.)

READ: Psalms 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 whatever he does shall prosper.

INTIMATION:

The Bible is the comprehensive book regarded as the ultimate authority on the subject of the solemn declaration of the Will of God—the Word of God. It contains the engagement entered into between God and man. These declaration is called Testament and the engagement is known as covenant. The Bible is the ultimate authority detailing the engagement entered into between God and man, either that with Moses (as expressed in the Old Testament) or that instituted by Christ (as expressed in the New Testament). 

The Bible has been with us for more than two thousand years, and the early books of the Old Testament have existed almost twice that long. Its enduring life attests not only to its great spiritual treasures but also to its amazing stories, astonishing miracles, and intriguing facts that continue to grip readers today. Even today, the modern scholar or scientist is hard-pressed to provide a logical, natural explanation for the events described in the Bible. We must rely on the Bible authors' interpretations to shed light on otherwise inconceivable happenings. Their confident understanding of these events points us beyond ourselves to consider the One who created all things.

It is thrilling to examine how God has providentially guarded His word in order to provide His word for men of all ages in written form. The very fact that the Bible has survived schemes to destroy it, gives witness to the fact that it has been held in great esteem by men throughout all history. Regardless of all attacks against it, the Bible lives in the hearts of those who have been changed by its precepts and promises. 

No other book has been preserved throughout history as the Bible. The manner by which the Bible has been providentially preserved indicates that there is something different about this book than all ancient books. If the Bible were just another book, we would at least had wondered why men have given so much attention to preserving it. Our conclusion is the great care by which the Bible has been preserved lies in the fact that men have considered the Bible to be more than another book. Those who have sought to preserve the Bible have given their testimony that it is the inspired word of God. 

A man has deprived himself of the best knowledge in the world if he has deprived himself of a knowledge of the Bible. On the foundation of this book, civilizations have been built and sustained. Only through the Bible can we understand who God is and what we must do to please Him. The Word of God is special revelation from God of Himself, and is the solemn declaration of His Will. And the Will of God is the expression of God. 

The Bible is God’s book of instruction for all people. It contains the written word of God. No other written words have affected so many people for so long in history. The reason for this is that men know the Bible is God’s truth that was revealed to direct our beliefs and behavior. No word from God can ever be defaulted. There never can be any denying of His own Word. Every Word of God is pure, and forever God’s Word is settled in heaven. The Word of God shall stand forever. His Word is eternal, constant, and unfailing. And only on God’s eternal Word will we find lasting solutions to our problems and needs. Your confidence is in that Word that cannot be broken. 

The Bible is a library of sixty-six Holy Spirit inspired books and letters. It is written by over forty inspired men over a period of 1,500 years. Though written by so many different people over a period of many centuries, there are no contradictions in the original writings of the Bible. The theme is the eternal salvation of man through the sacrificial offering of Jesus, the Son of God. God seeks through the Bible to inform all men concerning His desire to bring them into eternal heaven. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of constant meditation in Your Word, that the Book of the Law will not depart from me. Give me the grace to put to work all I have learned from the Book, that I prosper and have good success, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Absolute, Sovereign, Almighty Love

 Absolute, Sovereign, Almighty Love

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” (Exodus 34:6)

God abounds in steadfast love and faithfulness. 

Two images come to my mind:

The heart of God is like an inexhaustible spring of water that bubbles up love and faithfulness at the top of the mountain. Century after century the spring keeps on flowing.

Or the heart of God is like a volcano that burns so hot with love that it blasts the top off the mountain and flows year after year with the lava of love and faithfulness.

When God uses the word “abounding” — “abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” — he wants us to understand and feel that the resources of his love are not limited. You can drink at this mountain spring all day, year after year, generation after generation, and it never runs dry. 

You might even risk saying that God is like a government that simply prints more money when there’s a need. Inexhaustible, right? Well, there’s a difference. God has an infinite treasury of golden love to cover all the currency he prints. The government is in a dream world. God banks very realistically on the infinite resources of his deity.

The absolute existence, the sovereign freedom, and the omnipotence of God are the volcanic fullness that explodes in an overflow of love. The sheer magnificence of God means that he does not need us to fill up any deficiency in himself. Instead his infinite self-sufficiency spills over in love to us — to sinners — who need him, and the gift of himself in Jesus.

We can bank on his love precisely because we believe in the absoluteness of his existence, the sovereignty of his freedom, and the limitlessness of his power.

GOD YEARNS TO BE YOUR FRIEND!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 03, 2024. 

SUBJECT: GOD YEARNS TO BE YOUR FRIEND! 

Memory verse: "But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the LORD." (Jeremiah 9 vs 24.)

READ: Jeremiah 9 vs 23 - 24; John 15 vs 13:

Jeremiah 9:23: Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches;

9:24: But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the LORD.

John 15:13: Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 

INTIMATION:

The realization of the various aspects of your relationship with God makes you get committed to Him. He is your Maker, Lord and Master, Judge, Faithful Companion, Redeemer, Father, Savior, and much more. But the most shocking truth is this: Almighty God yearns to be your Friend! 

From creation, God’s plan is to be in constant fellowship with man. In the garden of Eden we see God's ideal relationship with us: Adam and Eve enjoyed daily visitation of the Lord, due to His quest for an intimate relationship with them. There were no rituals, ceremonies, or religion, just a simple loving relationship between God and the people He created. While unhindered by sin, Adam and Eve delighted in God, and He delighted in them.

God is known in His creation, and He is close to every one of us. But He is not trapped in His creation. He is supernatural. God is the Creator, not the creation. This means that God is sovereign and in control, while at the same time He is close and personal. Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege, and being known and loved by God is God's greatest pleasure. 

We were made to live in God's continual presence, but after the ‘Fall,’ that ideal relationship was lost due to sin. Only a few people in Old Testament times had the privilege of friendship with God. Moses and Abraham were called "friends of God" (Exodus 33 vs 11 & 17; James 2 vs 23), David was called "a man after [God's] own heart" (Acts 13 vs 22), and Job, Enoch, and Noah had intimate friendship with God (Job 29 vs 4; Genesis 5 vs 22; 6 vs 8). But the fear of God, not friendship, was more common in the Old Testament.

Then Jesus changed the situation. When He paid for our sins on the cross, the veil in the temple that symbolized our separation from God was split from top to bottom, indicating that direct access to God was once again available. Unlike the Old Testament priests who had to spend hours preparing to meet God, we can now approach God anytime.

Friendship with God is possible only because of the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus. The Bible, in Second Corinthians 5 vs 18 says, "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation." 

God actually is reconciling us to the Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. He invites us to enjoy friendship and fellowship with all three persons of the Trinity. The Bible, in First John 1 vs 3, says, "That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." 

The apostle Paul, in Second Corinthians 13 vs 14, concludes his letter to the saints in Corinth by reminding them of the communion and fellowship with the Trinity; "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen."

Your opinion of God makes it difficult for many to understand why He would want us to be close friends, but the Bible, in Exodus 34 vs 14 says, "(for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)." God is jealous of sharing your fellowship with any other, indicating how you are valued and wanted by Him. He deeply desires that we know Him intimately.

If any wants to boast, they should boast that they know and understand Him. These are the things that please the Lord. God puts a higher priority on knowing Him personally and living a life that reflects His justice and righteousness, over and above every other things we do. What do you want people to admire most about you? Mine is my relationship with my Maker.

Prayer: Abba Father, what a friend I have in Jesus Christ! I cannot find a friend so faithful; All my sins and griefs You bear, and has given me the great privilege to carry everything to You in prayer. How needless it is for me to bear any pains, or forfeit my peace in You by not committing everything in prayer to You. I have found my solace in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

God Isn’t Gloomy

 God Isn’t Gloomy

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. (Psalm 33:10–11)

“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3). The implication of this text is that God has the right and power to do whatever makes him happy. That is what it means to say that God is sovereign.

Think about it for a moment: If God is sovereign and can do anything he pleases, then none of his purposes can be frustrated. “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations” (Psalm 33:10–11).

And if none of his purposes can be frustrated, then he must be the happiest of all beings.

This infinite, divine happiness is the fountain from which the Christian (Hedonist) drinks and longs to drink more deeply.

Can you imagine what it would be like if the God who ruled the world were not happy? What if God were given to grumbling and pouting and depression, like some Jack-and-the-beanstalk giant in the sky? What if God were frustrated and despondent and gloomy and dismal and discontented and dejected?

Could we join David and say, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1)? I don’t think so.

We would all relate to God like little children who have a frustrated, gloomy, dismal, discontented father. They can’t enjoy him. They can only try not to bother him, or maybe try to work for him to earn some little favor. 

But that is not the way God is. He is never out of sorts with frustration or discouragement. And, as Psalm 147:11 says, he “takes pleasure . . . in those who hope in his steadfast love.” So the aim of the Christian Hedonist is not to avoid this God, not to run from him, or tiptoe through the living room lest his gloominess become anger. No, our aim is to hope in his steadfast love. To run to him. To be happy in God, to delight in God, to cherish and enjoy his fellowship and favor.

FIX YOUR SEARCH ON GOD ONLY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 02,

SUBJECT: FIX YOUR SEARCH ON GOD ONLY! 

Memory verse: "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His Will.”(Ephesians 1 vs 11.)

READ: Matthew 16 vs 25 - 26:

16:25: For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 

16:26: For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?"

INTIMATION:

Many books have been written that suggests ways to discover the purpose of your life. All of them are classified as "self-help" books because they all approached the subject from a self-centered viewpoint, and predictable steps to finding your life's purpose. Some of the steps offered by these books are titled; ‘Consider your dreams.’ ‘Clarify your values.’ ‘Set some goals.’ ‘Figure out what you are good at.’ ‘Aim high.’ ‘Go for it!’ ‘Be disciplined.’ ‘Believe you can achieve your goals.’ ‘Involve others.’ ‘Never give up.’

Of course, these recommendations often lead to great success. You can usually succeed in reaching a goal if you apply yourself to it. But being successful, and fulfilling your life's purpose are not at all the same issue! You could reach all your personal goals, and achieve your set objectives, becoming a star, or a raving success by the world's standards, and still miss the purpose for which God created you. You need more than self-help advice. 

God is not just the starting point of your life; He is the source of it. To discover your purpose in life you must turn to God's Word, not the world's wisdom. You must build your life on eternal truths, not pop psychology, success motivation, or inspirational stories. God, in His infinite wisdom, purposefully created you, and you are to serve His purpose to live a purposeful life.

Today’s memory verse is quite clear and direct on how we find our purpose on earth. It is in Christ that we find out who we are (we obtain an inheritance), and what we are living for (the purpose of Him for us), and He did it all according to His Will. He works all things according to his overall plans and purposes in everything and for everyone.

God is working all things according to His plan. It is not that things in reference to the Christian’s salvation are happening by fate. All things are being unfolded according to the predetermined mystery of God that has now been revealed to all men through the cross and the church. 

God is unique in His knowledge and in His control of the future. His consistent purpose is to carry out what he has planned. The verse in Ephesians gives us three insights into our purposes: 1. We discover our identity and purpose through a relationship with Jesus Christ. 2. God was thinking of you long before you ever thought about Him. His purpose for your life predates your conception. He planned it before you existed, without your input! You may choose your career, your spouse, your hobbies, and many other parts of your life, but you don't get to choose your purpose. 3. The purpose of your life fits into a much larger, cosmic purpose that God has designed for eternity.

God told Jeremiah; "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1 vs 5.) God knew you, as He knew Jeremiah, long before you were born or even conceived. He thought about you and planned for you. God has a purpose for each and everyone of us. In the same way He ordained Jeremiah a prophet to the nations while he was still in the womb, we are all appointed for various kinds of work. Discover yours!

Fixation on self instead on your Maker is wrong. Such obsession with self in these matters is a dead end. The Bible in Romans 8 vs 6 states; "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

In the passage we read today, Jesus gives the panacea for discovering your purpose. God relates with us in the spirit and the soul. The 'soul' is the individual's essential self, life, and being. Jesus said to His disciples, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. They should follow Him and He will show them their life's purpose. 

Jesus advised them that self-help is no help at all, but self-sacrifice is the way, God's way to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for? Achieving your life's purpose ordained by your Creator is more valuable than gaining the whole world.

Prayer: Abba Father, in You all things lie. Help me discover the purpose of Your creating and ordained me to serve, for in serving the preordained purpose, I will lead a purposefully fulfilled life in You, in Jesus’ Name I prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Prayer against Evil Dream

 Today, we're praying against evil dream that abort our blessings and destiny. I pray that any evil dream programmed to terminate your destiny and testimony to be destroy in Jesus Name 🙏🙏🙏

Prayer Points

1.  - Father I thank You for Your plans and purpose for my life and destiny in Jesus name.

2.  - Lord, I thank You for the grace and the ability You have given to me to dream and receive visions of the night.

3.  - I pull down every stronghold created in my mind for evil dreams in Jesus name. I cover my mind with the blood of Jesus Christ.

4.  - I free my mind from evil thoughts, imagination and words sent to attack my mind in preparation for evil dreams in Jesus name.

5.  - In the name of Jesus Christ, I forbid and render powerless, any evil spirit sent to work against my mind and prepare it for evil dream.

6.  - I cover my mind with the blood of Jesus Christ. I forbid every negative and demonic influence over my mind. I declare that I have the mind of Christ in Jesus name.

7.  - I overcome family and ancestral powers and evil by the blood of Jesus Christ.

8.  - By the power of the Holy Spirit, I break every covenant and agreement of evil.

9.  - I release the fire of God to burn every ancestral or generational material or connection to evil dreams in my life in Jesus name.

10.  - All generational, ancestral and family strongholds, covenants and evil influences of my maternal and paternal lineage which are frustrating my star, destiny and purpose in life through evil dreams, I command now, let the fire of the Holy Spirit torment and destroy you now out of my life in Jesus name.

11.  - As I lie down to sleep, let the light of the Almighty God overshadow me and destroy every darkness around me in Jesus name.

12.  - I sanctify every material I lie down to sleep upon with the blood of Jesus Christ.

13.  - I sanctify everywhere and every place I lie down to sleep with the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ.

14.  - Two cannot walk together unless they agree, therefore I disconnect myself from wicked spiritual personalities of evil dreams and covenants in Jesus name.

15.  - I restrict and forbid evil movements of wicked spirits that manipulate and influence my dreams negatively. Jesus Christ says “in my Name, you shall cast out the devil.” In the most potent and powerful name of Jesus Christ, I cast out every demonic and evil spirit sent on assignment to frustrate my life through evil dreams and evil actions.

16.  - Lord, as I lie down everyday to sleep, I shut the gates and doors of my sleep and dreams against the devil in Jesus name.

17.  - I reject and rebuke every spirit of fear sent to me during my sleep in Jesus name.

18.  - I receive the grace and ability to sleep and wake up in Jesus name. I rebuke every spirit of sleeplessness in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

19.  - Father, Your Word says that when I lie down, I shall not be afraid and my sleep shall be sweet. Therefore, I pray that everyday of my life, my sleep shall be sweet and blessed in Jesus name.

20.  - Lord, I thank You for his precious gift of dreams of my life and destiny. I bless Your most Holy Name.

The All-Satisfying Object

 The All-Satisfying Object

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

The quest for pleasure is not even optional, but commanded (in the Psalms): “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

The psalmists sought to do just this: “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Psalm 42:1–2). “My soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1).

The motif of thirsting has its satisfying counterpart when the psalmist says that men “drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights” (Psalm 36:8 NASB).

I found that the goodness of God, the very foundation of worship, is not a thing you pay your respects to out of some kind of disinterested reverence. No, it is something to be enjoyed: “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8). Taste. Taste! And see.

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103).

As C.S. Lewis says, God in the Psalms is the “all-satisfying Object.” His people adore him unashamedly for the “exceeding joy” they find in him (Psalm 43:4). He is the source of complete and unending pleasure: “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).