Mercy for Today

 Mercy for Today

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22–23)

God’s mercies are new every morning because each day only has enough mercy in it for that day. God appoints every day’s troubles. And God appoints every day’s mercies. In the life of his children, they are perfectly appointed. Jesus said, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). Every day has its own trouble. Every day has its own mercies. Each is new every morning.

But we often tend to despair when we think that we may have to bear tomorrow’s load on today’s resources. God wants us to know: We won’t. Today’s mercies are for today’s troubles. Tomorrow’s mercies are for tomorrow’s troubles.

Sometimes we wonder if we will have the mercy to stand in terrible testing. Yes, we will. Peter says, “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Peter 4:14). When the reviling comes, the Spirit of glory comes. It happened for Stephen as he was being stoned. It will happen for you. When the Spirit and the glory are needed, they will come.

The manna in the wilderness was given one day at a time. There was no storing up. That is the way we must depend on God’s mercy. You do not receive today the strength to bear tomorrow’s burdens. You are given mercies today for today’s troubles. 

Tomorrow the mercies will be new. “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9).

FELLOWSHIP WITH THE GODHEAD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY APRIL 16, 2025.

SUBJECT : FELLOWSHIP WITH THE GODHEAD!

Memory verse: "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8 vs 12.)

READ: First John 1 vs 3 - 7: 

1:3: That which we have seen and heard we declared to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 

1:4: And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

1:5: This is the message which we have heard from Him and declared to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

1:6: If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness we lie and do not practice the truth.

1:7: But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

INTIMATION:

The highest honor God has ever conferred upon us is to be joint-fellowshippers with Himself, with His Son, and with the Holy Spirit in carrying out His dream for redemption of the human race. Fellowship is the very mother of faith, the parent of joy, the source of victory; and He has called us individually into fellowship with His Son.

Jesus is the light of the world. He is the Creator of life, and His life brings light to humankind. In His light, we see ourselves as we really are (sinners in need of a Savior). If you have fellowship with Him—the true Light—you will have the light that helps you ovoid walking blindly and falling into sin. If you are walking in the light as He is in the light, He lights the path ahead of you so you can see how to live. 

Fellowship with the Godhead is in prayer, and meditation in His Word; in this, prayer becomes one of the sweetest privileges, and one of the greatest assets that we have as heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Consequently, your joy is guaranteed to be full. In fellowship with Him you are not alone. Romans 8 vs 26 then can be a reality;  "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."

As a believer, you are not left to your own resources to cope with problems. Even when you don't know the right words to pray, the Holy Spirit prays with, and for you, and God answers. If the Holy Sprint is voicing the desires of the Father through your lips, those desires will be met and granted. With God helping you to pray, you don't need to be afraid to come before Him.

Light represents what is good, pure, true, holy, and reliable. Darkness represents what is sinful, and evil. The statement “God is Light” means that God is perfectly holy and true and that He alone can guide us out of the darkness of sin. Light is also related to truth, in that, light exposes whatever exists, whether it is good or bad. In the dark, good and evil look alike; in the light, they can be clearly distinguished.

Just as darkness cannot exist in the presence of light, sin cannot exist in the presence of a holy God. Our fellowship with the Godhead is the very heart reason for redemption.  Fellowship means sharing, equally bearing the burden, sharing in the victories. In First Corinthians 1 vs 9 the Bible says, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." He has called us to share with His Son.  

Again,as a believer in fellowship with the Godhead, it is necessary for us to know the authority of the name of Jesus; not as a part of a creed or a doctrine, but to know it as an actual reality.  The Father has given us the power of attorney to use the name of Jesus, and that name has all authority in heaven and on earth, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given the name which is above every name, that at name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2 vs 9 - 10). That makes us absolute masters of Satanic forces:

"In my name they shall cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover (Mark 16 vs 17 - 18); “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it (John 14 vs 14); “Whatever you shall ask of the Father in My name He will give it you." (John 15 vs 16; 16 vs 23).

This is limitless. It is the limitlessness of the prayer life and it belongs to every child of God. Therefore, fellowship with the Godhead—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—is the key of life that helps us walk in light in the world. You will never stumble but have the best of life, and consequently, receive the crown of glory—eternal life with Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank you very much for the privilege of sonship and for calling me into fellowship with You. In You there is no darkness but the light of life. Give me the grace never to fall out of fellowship with You, fully pleasing You, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of You, that I will be a son You will be pleased with, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Don’t Be Like the Mule

 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. (Psalm 32:9)

Picture God’s people as a farmyard of all sorts of animals. God cares for his animals, he shows them where they need to go, and supplies a barn for their protection. 

But there is one beast on this animal farm that gives God an awful time, namely, the mule. He’s stupid and he’s stubborn and you can’t tell which comes first — stubbornness or stupidity.

Now the way God likes to get his animals into the barn for their food and shelter is by teaching them that they all have a personal name and then calling them by name. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go” (Psalm 32:8).

But the mule will not respond to that sort of direction. He is without understanding. So God gets in his pick-up truck and goes out in the field, puts the bit and bridle in the mule’s mouth, hitches it to the truck, and drags him stiff-legged and snorting all the way into the barn.

That is not the way God wants his animals to come to him for blessing and protection. 

One of these days it is going to be too late for that mule. He’s going to get clobbered with hail and struck by lightning, and when he comes running, the barn door is going to be shut. 

Therefore, don’t be like the mule. “Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle.” 

Instead, let everyone who is godly come to God in prayer at a time when he may be found (Psalm 32:6).

The way not to be a mule is to humble ourselves, to come to God in prayer, to confess our sins, and to accept, as needy little farmyard chicks, the direction of God into the barn of his protection and provision.

PRAYER IS OUR SPIRITUAL EXERCISE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY APRIL 15, 2025.

SUBJECT: PRAYER IS OUR SPIRITUAL EXERCISE!

Memory verse: “For bodily exercise profits little; but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that is now, and of that which is to come.” (First Timothy 4 vs 8.)

READ: First Timothy 4 vs 7 vs 9:

4:7: But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.

4:8: For bodily exercise profits little: but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

4:9: This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.

INTIMATION:

Many spiritual functions parallel physical functions. As our bodies need exercising physically, so our souls. Our spiritual exercise is through prayer, and is very profitable to our spiritual lives. It helps us stand perfect and complete as it changes things in our favor before the Lord. In our society much emphasis is placed on physical fitness, but spiritual health is even more important. Our physical health is susceptible to disease and injury, but faith, through our spiritual exercise, which results into godliness, can sustain us through any tragedy and to eternity.

Also, as our bodies hunger and thirst, so do our souls. Our souls need spiritual nourishments. We would not think of depriving our bodies of food and water when they hunger or thirst, lest we are weakened, and this might result to death after a time. If our physical bodies need food and water to stay strong and alive, our souls also needs spiritual nourishments to stay alive and active. Spiritual exercise of prayer in the Living Word—Jesus Christ, and the written Word—the Bible, can satisfy our hungry and thirsty souls.

Therefore, we should concentrate more on exercising the soul unto godly health than on the physical body. Godly health profits one not only in this life, but also in the life to come. Those who focus continually on the flesh, have turned their thinking inward to themselves, and not on that which will dwell throughout eternity. 

Through the spiritual exercise of prayer your spirit is contacting the Father through the Holy Spirit. Also, your spirit is reaching other human spirits through the Father. Through prayer your spirit connects to the spirit of other believers, and consequently, the Body of Christ is strengthened. In First Corinthians 5 vs 4, the apostle Paul enumerated this revelation in relation to prayer when he said, "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He told the church that when they are gathered in their prayer meetings, he will be with them, and so also will the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul and the Lord Jesus Christ are present with them in the spirit. 

It is in the realm of the recreated spirit that we become utterly one with Jesus. Therefore, in our spiritual exercise in prayer we become so utterly ruled and governed by the Word and the Holy Spirit that we become Masters of demons and of their works. In prayer we are cooperating with the Lord. And through us, God is ruling the demons and evil forces all over the world. 

We are workers with Jesus through our prayer life as we enter the Holy Priesthood in our prayer life (Revelation 5 vs 10). We can be God's voice, His spokesman, His ambassador, His under-ruler in Jesus' Name through the Word on your lips. Our prayers bring the very presence of God upon men in any part of the world.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the privilege of being Your co-worker through the spiritual exercise of prayer. The Word on my lips in prayers is the same as the Word on the lips of Christ. Your very life flows through our lips in prayer. Endue me with the spirit of praying without ceasing, that I may be in your presence and partnering with You at all times, 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.

GOD IS EVER CARING!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY APRIL 14, 2025.

SUBJECT: GOD IS EVER CARING!

Memory verse: "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (First Peter 5 vs 7.) 

READ:  Psalm 103 vs 8 - 14 & 17:

103:8: The Lord is merciful and gracious. slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 

103:9: He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. 

103:10: He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. 

103:11: For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 

103:12: As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 

103:13: As s father pities his children, do the Lord pities those who fear Him. 

103:14: For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. 

103:17: But the mercy of The Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him. And His righteousness to children's children. 

INTIMATION:

God has deep interest in all that concerns you and I. We are fragile but God's care is eternal. Too often we focus on God as Judge and Lawgiver, ignoring His compassion and concern for us. When God examines our lives He remembers our human condition. His mercy takes everything into account. God will deal with us compassionately. 

Our weakness should not be used as a justification for sin. God is so caring that when He forgives us our sin, He separates it from us and doesn't even remember it. East and west can never meet and this is a symbolic portrait of God's forgiveness of our sins. We need never wallow in the past, for God forgives and forgets.

In Matthew 6 vs 31 - 33, the Scripture states:

"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' Or 'What shall drink?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

To "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" means to turn to God first for help, to fill your thoughts with His desires, to take His character for your pattern, and to serve and obey Him in everything. People, objects, goals, and other desires all compete for priority. Any of these can quickly bump God out of first place if you don't actively choose to give Him first place in every area of your life, remembering that He cares!

Carrying your worries, stresses, and daily struggles by yourself shows that you have not trusted God fully with your life. It takes humility, however, to recognize that God cares, and to admit your needs, and let God take care of you. Sometimes we think that struggles caused by our own sin and foolishness are not God's concern. But when we turn to God in repentance, He will bear the weight of those struggles, including our sins.

Our Loving Father will never leave us; that is His promise to us. But the enemy of our souls wants us to doubt God, and to question His ability. Obviously, if you told a big enough lie long enough, people would believe it. And this undoubtedly, is the trick the father of lies, Satan, has used from the beginning of human history.

In the Garden of Eden our first parents were set up to live happily ever after, haven been placed in a paradise-like setting by a Loving, Caring, and Personal God. They had been given everything they could ever want, but with only one small restriction: "Don't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." 

We easily will say today, 'What a simple innocuous request and easy to obey.'

But when they were enticed by the “tempter,” - the devil, they fell into his trap of questioning the love and goodness of the One from whom they had only experienced good. What a monstrous lie! But they bought the lie hook, line and sinker! And mankind has been wretched ever since, but for God's intervention through His Son, Jesus Christ!

We do the same today. We willingly swallow the lie that we cannot trust our Heavenly Father. We allow our earthly hurts from parents or others to distrust our view and our understanding of God. Our many feelings, emotions, fears, and human experience effectively block a clean perception, consequently stifling all truth about Him. 

Pray that God will help you not allow negative human relationships and experience interfere with having a close relationship with your Loving, and Caring Father, and hindering your enjoying the never ending and limitless benefits of His care.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are so caring and loving that You gave Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins. What a supreme sacrifice You made for me! Forever You remain my only God. Endue me with the spirit of love, compassion, trust, and complete obedience to You, who has given all for me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Your Thought are Deep by Rev. Sam Adeyemi