Included in the Covenant

 Included in the Covenant

“There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed. His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine.” (Psalm 132:17–18)

Who will benefit from the promises God made to David?

Here is Psalm 132:17–18 again: “I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed. His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine.” 

Now connect that with Isaiah 55:1, 3, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! . . . And I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.”

From this side of the cross, here’s how I would paraphrase that promise: Whoever comes to God through Jesus Christ, his Son, thirsting for what God is for us in Christ, rather than depending on who we are or what we do, God will make with that one a covenant. 

Remember how the Bible comes to an end in Revelation 22:17? “Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” This is not just the Jews of Isaiah’s day. This is anyone who comes to Christ to satisfy the thirst of his soul. “I will make with [that one] an everlasting covenant!”

What covenant? A covenant defined and secured by God’s “sure love for David.” Isaiah 55:3, “I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.” I take that to mean that I am included in the Davidic covenant. What David gets, I will get in Christ Jesus.

And what does that include? 

A horn will sprout for me. That is, great strength will fight for me and protect me. There will be a God-prepared lamp for me. That is, light will surround me and darkness will not overcome me. There will be a crown for me. That is, I will reign with the Son of David and sit with him on his throne. “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne” (Revelation 3:21).

It is an astonishing thing that we will benefit from the promises made to David. God means for us to be astonished. He means for us to leave our devotions astonished at the power and authority and surety with which we are loved by God.

GOD’S PATIENCE AND MERCY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2025.

SUBJECT : GOD’S PATIENCE AND MERCY!

Memory verse: "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (Second Peter 3 vs 9.)

READ: Psalm 103 vs 8 - 14:

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 a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him.

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

 

INTIMATION:

Our Heavenly Father extends grace far beyond the usual time by waiting or enduring without complaint or reprisal. The Bible in Exodus 34 vs 6 - 7 says, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty....."

In His kindness God holds back His judgement, giving people time to repent. It is easy to mistake God's patience for approval of wrong way we are living. Self evaluation is difficult, and it is even more difficult to expose our conduct to God and let Him tell us where we need to change. In our thought, we just don't put God in our timetable. 

God is not slow; He is just not in our timetable. Because of the open invitation; without any time frame attached or given to us to come to Him, we tend to put Him out of our timetable. Like God the Father, God the Son, Jesus, is waiting so that more sinners will repent and turn to Him. We must not sit and wait for Christ to return, but we should realize that time is short and we have important work to do. 

But as Christians we must pray constantly that God will point out our sins, so that He can heal them. Unfortunately, we are more likely to be amazed at God's patience with others than humbled by His patience with us. God is ever merciful. He is good and His mercies endures forever. Though this Nature of God is repeated severally in the Bible, but the psalmist in Psalm 136 repeated it throughout the psalm. Repeating this phrase, "For His mercy endures forever," shows the truth in it, and makes the important lesson sink in. 

"Mercy" is a translation of a Hebrew word that includes aspects of love, kindness, mercy, and faithfulness. We never have to worry that God will run out of love because it flows from a well that will never run dry. Mercy is the translation of the Greek word "Eleos," which 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. God is rich in mercy (Ephesians 2 vs 4), and out of His mercy has provided salvation for all men (Titus 3 vs 5), for Jews (Luke 1 vs 72), and Gentiles (Romans 15 vs 9). He is merciful to those who fear Him (Luke 1 vs 50), for they are compassed with iniquity, and He alone can succor them. 

Now that we have known of God's patience and merciful nature, we should not overstretch it or take it for granted. But we should be ready to meet Christ any time, even today, and plan our course of service as though He may not return for many years. We should be ready at all times; leading our lives as if He is already here, knowing that if we miss it now, we may have missed it forever.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are merciful, patient, and just. Give me the grace never to take Your mercy and patience for granted, but rather be ready to meet You anytime in faithfulness and obedience to You, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

TRUST IN THE UNCHANGING GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JANUARY 31, 2025.

SUBJECT : TRUST IN THE UNCHANGING GOD!

Memory verse: "For I am the LORD, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed. O sons of Jacob. (Malachi 3 vs 6.) 

READ: Hebrews 1 vs 10 - 12:

1:10: And, “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands:

1:11: They will perish, but You remain; and they all will grow old like a garment;

12 like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail.

INTIMATION:

God is changeless; He is unalterable, inviolable, and persistent. In other words, you can always count on Him because He is worthy of our trust and He never changes. In accordance with His persistent nature, our Heavenly Father does not have good days or bad days. He never gets out of bed on the wrong side (maybe because He never goes to bed nor sleeps! (Psalm 121 vs 4)). Therefore, though we are in a changing and dynamic world, we can trust our unchanging Lord. 

His nature is revealed to us in Second Timothy 2 vs 13, "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself." This is absolutely incredible! Even when you are faithless and filled with doubt, God is persistent as your Father. Despite the fact that everything else around you may be changing, and your world appears to be falling apart, there is always one thing you can count on—God never changes how He acts toward you no matter what you do. Problems and heartaches can overwhelm us and cause us to feel that God has rejected us. But God our Creator is eternally with us and will keep all His promises, even though we may feel alone. The world will perish, but God will remain. 

Jesus Christ is faithful. He will stay by our side even when we have endured so much that we seem to have no faith left. We may be faithless at times, but Jesus is faithful to His promise to be with us always, "even to end of the age" (Matthew 28 vs 20). Though some refuse Christ and His help, which breaks their communication with the Father, but He will never turn His back on us even though we may turn our back on Him. And because of His grace, He loves us persistently on our good days and bad days. Christ’s character will never change. He persistently shows His love to us. He is always fair, just, and merciful to us who are so undeserving. He will always help us when we need it and offer forgiveness when we fail.

Christ is our only security in a changing world. Whatever may happen in this world, Christ remains forever changeless. If we trust Him, we are absolutely secure, because we stand on the firmest foundation in the universe—Jesus Christ. A famous hymn captures this truth: “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” 

Earthly fathers can be so unpredictable and inconsistent, as can any human being. The result of this inconsistency is insecurity. But our Heavenly Father is persistent, consistent, and perfect. God loves us unconditionally and persistently because we are His children. In Psalms 18 vs 30, the psalmist says, "As for God, His way is perfect; The Word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust Him." 

 

Some people think that believing in God is a crutch for weak people who cannot make it on their own. God indeed is a shield to protect us when we are too weak to face certain trials by ourselves, but He does not want us to remain weak. He strengthens, protects, and guides us in order to send us back into the world to fight for Him. Then He continues to work with us because the strongest person on earth is definitely weaker than God and needs His help. David was not a coward; he was a mighty warrior who, even with all his armies and weapons, knew that only God could ultimately protect and save him. 

When we spend more time on ourselves than on serving Christ, we treat ourselves (His creation) as being more important than our Creator. When we regard our finances, rather than our faith in Christ, as a basis for security, we give higher status to an earthly resource than we do to God. Rather than trusting in changeable and temporary resources, trust in God, who is eternal. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my Shield, my high Tower, and my Refuge, my Savior, in You I put my whole trust. You are on my side, I will not fear: what can man do to me.Give me the grace to serve You faithfully all the days of my life, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Five Purposes for Suffering

 Five Purposes for Suffering

For those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

We seldom know the micro reasons for our sufferings, but the Bible does give us faith-sustaining macro reasons. 

It is good to have a way to remember some of these so that, when we are suddenly afflicted, or have a chance to help others in their affliction, we can recall some of the truths God has given us to help us not lose hope. 

Here is one way to remember: 5 R’s (or if it helps, just pick three and try to remember them). 

The macro purposes of God in our sufferings include:

Repentance: Suffering is a call for us and others to turn from treasuring anything on earth above God. Luke 13:4–5:

“Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” 

Reliance: Suffering is a call to trust God and not the life-sustaining props of this world. 2 Corinthians 1:8–9:

We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 

Righteousness: Suffering is the discipline of our loving heavenly Father so that we come to share his righteousness and holiness. Hebrews 12:6, 10–11: 

“The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” . . . He disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 

Reward: Suffering is working for us a great reward in heaven that will make up for every loss here a thousandfold. 2 Corinthians 4:17:

This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. 

Finally, Reminder: Suffering reminds us that God sent his Son into the world to suffer so that our suffering would not be God’s condemnation but his purification. Philippians 3:10:

. . . that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings.

So, it is understandable that the Christian heart would cry out in suffering, “Why?” since we don’t know most of the micro reasons for our suffering — why now, why this way, why this long? But don’t let that ignorance of the micro reasons cause you to overlook the massive help God gives in his word by telling us his macro purposes for us. 

“You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11).

Prevailing Grace

 Prevailing Grace

“I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners.” (Isaiah 57:18)

Learn your doctrine from biblical texts. It stands up better that way, and feeds the soul. 

For example, learn the doctrine of irresistible grace from texts. In this way, you will see that it does not mean grace cannot be resisted; it means that when God chooses, he can and will overcome that resistance.

In Isaiah 57:17–19, for instance, God chastises his rebellious people by striking them and hiding his face: “Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry, I struck him; I hid my face and was angry” (verse 17).

But they did not respond with repentance. Rather, they kept backsliding. They resisted: “But he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart” (verse 17).

So grace can be resisted. In fact, Stephen said to the Jewish leaders, “You always resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51).

What then does God do? Is he powerless to bring those who resist to repentance and wholeness? No. He is not powerless. The next verse says, “I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners” (Isaiah 57:18).

So, in the face of recalcitrant, grace-resisting backsliding, God says, “I will heal him.” He will “restore.” The word for “restore” is to “make whole or complete.” It is related to the word shalom, “peace.” That wholeness and peace is mentioned in the next verse which explains how God turns around a grace-resisting backslider.

He does it by “‘creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace (shalom, shalom), to the far and to the near,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will heal him’” (Isaiah 57:19). God creates what is not there — peace, wholeness. This is how we are saved. And this is how we are brought back from backsliding — again and again. 

The grace of God triumphs over our resistance by creating praise where it did not exist. He brings shalom, shalom to the near and the far. Wholeness, wholeness to the near and the far. He does it by “restoring,” that is, replacing the disease of resistance with the soundness of submission.

The point of irresistible grace is not that we can’t resist. We can, and we do. The point is that when God chooses, he overcomes our resistance and restores a submissive spirit. He creates. He says, “Let there be light!” He heals. He leads. He restores. He comforts.

Therefore, we never boast that we have returned from backsliding. We fall on our faces before the Lord and with trembling joy thank him for his irresistible grace that conquered all our resistance.

BOLDLY DECLARE THE WORD WITH FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JANUARY 30, 2025.

SUBJECT : BOLDLY DECLARE THE WORD WITH FAITH!

Memory verse: "And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, 'I believed and therefore I spoke,' we also believe and therefore speak." (Second Corinthians 4 vs 13.)

READ: Acts 19 vs 8 - 12:

19:8: And he went into the synagogue, and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God. 

19:9: But when some were hardened, and not believe, but spoke evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. 

19:10: And this continued for two years; so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. 

19:11: Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, 

19:12: so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

INTIMATION:

God has given us several promises in the Scriptures. In our prayers, we should approach God with confidence and assurance in Him and His Word—His promises. Bold declaration of the Word of God with faith is agreeing with Him, and only in so doing will God work with you. Prophet Amos asked the very important question, "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" (Amos 3 vs 3.) You agree with God by saying what He says in His Word. The bold declaration of God’s Word in faith signifies the depth of your trust and confidence in Him and His promises. And God will definitely come through to you in performance of His Word.

For instance, the Scripture says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want”  (Psalm 23 vs 1). “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4 vs 19). "And by His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53 vs 5). "He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions" (Psalm 107 vs 20). "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind" (Second Timothy 1 vs 7). Therefore, when you speak lack, sickness, fear, defeat, and inability, you are disagreeing with God’s Word because it is contrary to His Word, and the power in God’s Word will not manifest for you.

As 'Believers' we should boldly be speaking the Word of our Father, and the power in the Word will manifest in our lips as though is the Father speaking it. It is neither you nor in your power, but God who hastens to perform His Word (Jeremiah 1 vs 12). As a child of God, and a believer in Christ's work of redemption, He promises to “give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist" (Luke 21 vs 15). Failure to boldly declare the Word of God is a faith failure as His child.

To walk closely with God is to walk in bold assurance of His Word—His promises. It should be in the heart of all Christians to walk closely with God. The Bible records the testimony of Enoch: "he walked with God" (Genesis 5 vs 24). Enoch wasn't the only person who could walk with God, you and I also can walk with Him. Hebrews 11 vs 5 says that Enoch "pleased God" by agreeing in faith with God. We can walk just as closely with God as Enoch did if we choose to agree with Him in faith.

How do we agree with God? We agree by saying what God says while disagreeing with the wicked, lying devil. Know it that when your word is not in agreement with God's Word, you weary Him with your word (Malachi 2 vs 17). And your confession is harsh against God (Malachi 3 vs 13.) Our relationship with the Lord should be in humility, obedience, and trust. It should not be of weariness and harshness in words. 

In our memory verse, the apostle Paul reveals that the release of power of God is consequent upon bold declaration of the Word in faith. And such assurance of faith engenders God’s confirmation with signs and wonders by the hand of the believer. Also, in the passage we read today, we have seen that even with the accompanying signs and wonders, not all would be convinced about Christ. God gave these men power to do great wonders as confirmation of the message of grace, but people were still divided. The important thing is to sow the seeds of the Word on the best ground you can find in the best way you can, and leave the convincing to the Holy Spirit—the Teacher, and Revealer of the truth (John 16 vs 13.) 

Prayer: Abba Father, You have magnified Your Word above all Your Name, and hasten Your Word to perform it. In bold and assurance of faith I will declare Your Word, and believe You will confirm Your Word with signs following, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Prayer for Personal Safety and Protection

 Prayer for Personal Safety and Protection 

Today, we're praying for personal safety and protection because the days are evil most especially begining of the new year. God's divine protection shall be upon you and your house hold in Jesus Name. The evils of 2025 will never locate you and household in Jesus Name 🙏🙏🙏🙏.

Psalms 91, Psalms 121 the whole Bible passages.

Isaiah 45:1-3

Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. 

PRAYER POINTS

1.    - Thank God for this day, and begin to decree good things into the womb of day.

2.  - I dedicate this day to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and decree that I shall be favoured by God and men, in the name of Jesus.

3.  - I take authority over this day and declare that this is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it, in the name of Jesus.

4.  - Commit today into God's hands and tell Him to have His way in your life, in Jesus Name.

5.  - I cover every journey I shall embark upon this day and month with the blood of Jesus.

6.  - Lord Jesus, I stand on Your word in Isaiah, 54, verse, 17 and declare that no weapon formed against me and my family this day and month shall prosper, in the name of Jesus.

7.  - I decree that all elemental forces, will refuse to cooperate with my enemies, in the name of Jesus. 

8.  - Lord Jesus, uproot evil things from my life, in the name of Jesus.

9.  - O Lord, plant good things in my life, in the name of Jesus.

10.  - I cancel every conscious and unconscious negative agreement, in the name of Jesus.

11.  - Let every spiritual weakness in my life receive termination, in the name of Jesus.

12.  - Let every financial failure in my life receive termination, in the name of Jesus.

13.  - Let every sickness in my life receive termination, in the name of Jesus.

14.  - Let every architect of problems in my life receive termination, in the name of Jesus.

15.  - I refuse to reap any satanic harvest this day, and for the rest of my life, in the name of Jesus.

16.  - That which hinders me from greatness in the past months, begin to give way right now, in the name of Jesus.

17.  - All my imprisoned blessings in the past years, come forth now, in the name of Jesus.

18.  - Every tree of sorrow in my life be uprooted by fire, in the name of Jesus.

19.  - I silence evil utterances against my life and family, in the name of Jesus.

20.  - Pray for the church of christ, that the church of God will continue to march forward, and the gate of hell shall not prevail over it.

21.  - Begin to appreciate God for answered prayers.