Daily Devotional for Thursday 5th March

[Edoman]

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES 

THURSDAY 5TH MARCH.



PRAYING ALWAYS IN THE SPIRIT.


Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints (Ephesians 6:18).


Sometimes, there’re those who wonder what the Spirit meant when He said through the Apostle Paul, “Praying always WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION in the Spirit.” But it’s very clear. Another translation says, “...With every kind of prayer.” He’s saying to you, “I want you to pray with the spirit in every kind of prayer.” In other words, there’re different kinds of prayer. Now, whether it’s a prayer of faith, a prayer of thanksgiving, a prayer of intercession, a prayer of agreement, the prayer of dedication or consecration or prophetic prayer, you’re to add to it, praying in the spirit.

Praying in the spirit is one kind of prayer, but he’s telling us that with all the different kinds of prayer, we should pray in the spirit. Don’t say, “I’m not praying in the spirit today, because I’m praying a prayer of intercession.” We can’t leave out the spirit when it comes to prayers; we must pray in other tongues. 

That’s what praying in the spirit is; it means that the prayer is coming from the inspiration of your spirit, uttered in other tongues.

For instance, when you want to pray the prayer of faith, you may start by speaking in tongues, before going ahead to release those declarations of faith. It’s like saying to you, “With every food, take water”; meaning whether you’re eating a protein meal or vegetables, irrespective of the type of food, drink water along with it. 

The Apostle Paul, while communicating this truth to the Corinthian Church, said, “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also" (1 Corinthians 14:14-15).


Take this seriously. Pray always in the spirit, and your life will be so upgraded to enjoy ever-increasing glory. You’ll be vibrant and exuberant with praise at all times; more effective in your Christian walk, and circumstances will be under your feet. Hallelujah!

PRAYER

Dear Father, I thank you for the opportunity and privilege of prayer! Thank you for enlightening me to pray effectively in the spirit. I’m inspired and energized to make tremendous power available through prayer, building myself on my most holy faith, resulting in a life of absolute dominion in Christ, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

Ephesians 6:18 AMPC Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).

Jude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

1-Year Bible Reading Plan
Mark 11:1-26 & Numbers 16-17

2-Year Bible Reading Plan
Acts 24:10-21 & Psalm 57-58






#TALKINGSESSION 

5TH MARCH.



KINDLY SAY THESE WORDS OUT LOUD.


Dear Holy Spirit, I thank You for Your presence in my life. I love and cherish You with all my heart. You’re everything to me; You’re my Comforter, Helper, Counsellor, Advocate, Strengthener, Intercessor, and Standby. 

I thank You for Your divine power at work in me to accomplish every task that You’ve planned for me. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. You're my ability; therefore, I make progress by Your power that is at work in me.

 I thank You for Your Word of wisdom that gives me life, guiding my thoughts, words, and actions. Father, Your wisdom is at work in me today, and I am yielded to the Holy Spirit, who perfects all that concerns me, teaching me how to walk in wisdom and recognize spiritual authority. 

I am confident and grateful for the life of victory You’ve called me into. All things work together for my good, including the challenges and troubles that I face; they work for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 

Now and always, my heart is filled with joy unspeakable, and full of glory, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.



God bless you

[Edoman]

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL


DATE: THURSDAY 5TH MARCH 2020.

THEME: DELAY GRATIFICATION.

MEMORISE:

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:2

READ: Matthew 16:25-26

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

MESSAGE 

“The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:”  1 Peter 5:1

If there is glory to be revealed and the best is yet to come, it means that the future is superior to the present. Hence, a sensible person will not sacrifice a glorious future on the altar of the present. Peter in the scripture above was telling the elders to be willing to sacrifice the present for the future.

The desire for instant gratification is a lethal weapon in the hand of the enemy. In Genesis 25:28-34, we are told that Isaac loved Esau and was thus ready to hand over the baton to him. Esau however lost his future for his present. Whenever Esau killed an animal, he ate it immediately. Jacob on the other hand kept few animals he could lay hands on. When it was time for Esau to prepare a delicacy for his father so as to get the firstborn’s blessing, he didn’t have any meat, so he had to go out to hunt; Jacob on the other hand who obviously had delayed gratification had meat in the backyard that he quickly cooked, served to his father and got the blessings before Esau got back. If only Esau had restrained himself from eating just one of all the animals that he had previously hunted, if only he had delayed gratification a little, things would have turned out differently.

Peter said there is a crown of glory that never fades away (1 Peter 5:4). Don’t trade the pleasures of today for that crown of glory. You don’t want to miss that for anything. The things that look alluring to you now are just tools in the hands of the devil as he fights hard to ensure you don’t get that crown that never fades. The fight will not end until you get the crown. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus set His eyes on the joy ahead, hence He was able to endure the pain He suffered. Set your eyes on that incorruptible crown and all the pleasures of this world will mean nothing to you.

KEY POINT:

The future is glorious for those who choose to delay gratification.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 26-27

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 28:  THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING.

1. There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

o Refrain:
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

2. There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

3. There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come, and now honor Thy Word.

4. There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!

5. There shall be showers of blessing,
If we but trust and obey;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
If we let God have His way.

[Edoman]

RESTORATION TODAY


THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020.

TOPIC: *AVOIDING NEGATIVE ATTITUDES [2]*

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." Philippians 2:5.

*MESSAGE*
*2. Thinking That God Owes You Something*
This is another negative attitude. Jesus told a parable in Matthew 20 where we saw a group of people with this attitude. A land owner went out to hire some workers by 9am, hired some more at 12 noon, then again at 5pm—just one hour before the day's job is over. He agreed to pay them a day's wage. When the time came for payment, the workers who were hired at 5pm got a full day's wage so the ones hired first expected that their payment will be higher (Matthew 20:1-15).

Don't you ever get to a point where you believe that you deserve more than what God is giving you, or deserve what God is giving someone else (who seems less deserving). That mind-set is wrong. Why would anyone be jealous because God is being generous? If you will learn to celebrate God's goodness and faithfulness in others, you are are acknowledging His wonder-working ability and since He is the same yesterday, today and forever, you are inviting that limitless ability to manifest in your situation, too.

We see this again in the story of the ten lepers that Jesus healed (Luke 17:15-19). Ten men were healed; only one returned to say "thank You" to Jesus (a Samaritan). The other nine (all Jews) probably considered it to be a right because Jesus, after all, is a Jew. He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. If He didn't heal them, who will He heal? But that is a negative attitude and mindset. God owes no man! He is God. Be like the one leper that returned to Jesus; such people get what others don't get—while others were healed, he was made whole (Luke 17:19). May that be your testimony.
 
*ACTION POINT*
God owes no man; submit to His Lordship and He will beautify your life.

*SCRIPTURES*
Luke 17:15-19; Matthew 20:1-15.

*PRAYER POINTS*
1. Lord, thank you for reminding me of Your love, power and sovereignty;

2. I acknowledge You for Who You are, Lord, help me to not allow my thinking to cripple my faith in you in the name of Jesus;

3. Lord, help me to continually grow in developing the attitude of Jesus in the name of Jesus.

*THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR*
Exodus 24; Psalm 68; Acts 13:26-52

[Edoman]

#SEEDS OF #DESTINY ,


5TH MARCH 2020.


#TOPIC : "EXISTING TO EXCEL.”

#SCRIPTURE : Daniel 6:3. "Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm."

#THOUGHT FOR THE DAY : You cannot rise up to your God-ordained place in destiny without excellence. Excellence is the doorway to prominence; excellence is the pathway to eminence.

The Scriptures make it clear that God has a vision for the Earth; and this vision of God is the filling of the Earth with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Numbers 14:21, Habakkuk 2:14). God wants the whole Earth to be infiltrated, penetrated, animated and embodied with the knowledge of His glory as the waters cover the sea. 

God wants to fill all areas of human endeavour – the economic, political, financial, academic, scientific, agricultural, entertainment, media, and medical realms with the knowledge of His glory as the waters cover the sea.

Now, the question is, how does God fulfil this vision? It is by positioning His people in leadership as stars, pacesetters, history makers, front liners, etc. Beloved, God wants to position you as a front liner and pacesetter in your field like He positioned Daniel in Babylon, David in the palace of king Saul, Joseph in Egypt and Esther in the Persian Empire, so that through you, He would take over the world for Himself.

Now, how does God position people? It is on the frequency of excellence. It was excellence that positioned Daniel, Esther and David on their respective thrones. God is not excited about mediocrity. It doesn’t matter how anointed, prayerful or spiritually committed you are, if you are not excellent, you lose your place of prominence in God. 

You cannot rise up to your God-ordained place in destiny without excellence. Excellence is the doorway to prominence; excellence is the pathway to eminence.
What is my counsel? Determine to exist in excellence.

#REMEMBER THIS : "You cannot rise up to your God-ordained place in destiny without excellence. Excellence is the doorway to prominence; excellence is the pathway to eminence."

#ASSIGNMENTS :

1. Reject mediocrity and focus on improving yourself at all cost.
2. Endeavour to be the best at what you do.
#PRAYER : O Lord, I ask for the impartation of the spirit of excellence. I reject mediocrity and average existence, in Jesus’ Name.

#FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE : "YOU EXIST TO EXCEL."

#QUOTE : "Wisdom increases the boldness of a man’s countenance. It is the secret of distinction". Culled from "10 PRINCIPAL SECRETS OF PRINCIPAL PEOPLE" by Dr Paul Enenche
#DAILY READING : 2 Samuel 17-19.

#AMAZING FACT : The Bible is the only Book that has been translated into more than 3,300 languages, covering nearly 95 percent of the world’s population.
#PROPHETIC DECLARATION/WORD : I decree upon you the release of the Spirit of excellence in Jesus’ Name.

[Edoman]

OUR DAILY MANNA DEVOTIONAL BOOKLET FOR CHAMPIONS


DATE: THURSDAY 5TH MARCH, 2020

TOPIC: THE ADVENTUROUS AVIATOR: WORRY IS LIKE A RAT

BASIC SCRIPTURE: (MATTHEW 6:25-34)

The story is told of an aviator who decided to go on an adventure by flying to different locations of his country. Every destination he flew to, he looked for an airfield where he landed to fuel the aircraft every 4 hours. Two hours after he took off from a particular location he had stopped to fuel, he heard a sound somewhere in the plane.

He noticed that it was a rat in the plane that was causing the noise. He suddenly became worried about the critical wire in the plane that the rat could bite with its sharp teeth and cut off. It could be a wire that might hold the secret of the plane staying up there and the plane could come crashing down.

As he thought about this, fear and worry set in from all sides. Who wouldn’t be worried under such a circumstance? As God would have it, he suddenly remembered that a rat is a rodent that should stay on the ground in dark holes where it would be in search of food.

He remembered that a rat would not be able to withstand the high altitudes of flying. Upon this realization, he nosed his plane up and began to soar higher and higher, going to higher feet above sea level. When he had reached a particular height, he noticed the noise had disappeared. He then decided to look for the nearest airfield to land. When he landed, a dead rat fell from the cockpit. 
.
The truth is this man knew something about the rat, applied that knowledge and defeated it.

In the same vein, when you understand fear and worry, you defeat them. Worry and fear take away from man both peace and joy that God has Hesigned for us to enjoy. The Bible clearly declares to us that, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

There is no doubt that life is full of challenges. However, worry leads us into fear thereby pushing one into a deeper crisis of both mind and the body.
Leo Buscaglia said, “Worry only saps today of its joy.” It magnifies our challenges, making them bigger than what they really are.

A Swedish proverb says, “Worry often gives a small thing a bigger shadow.”
George Bernard Shaw said, “People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them.” Did you get that? Release that battle to God and LET IT GO! Your worrying cannot bring a solution but it may bring a sickness (hypertension)!

You must treat every challenge giving you fear, anxiety and worry like the rat of today’s devotional! Soar high on the wings of faith and you will see that challenge die like the rat. I see you rejoicing this year as you FEED your FAITH and STARVE your DOUBTS to death.

PRAYER POINTS: Take Song 1: When The Morning Comes….

1. Pray on today’s word as led now.
2. O Lord, You have made me overcome; therefore I overcome my challenges right now in Jesus name.
3. Lord, use my life, family and ministry to show the world that FAILURES, setbacks and DELAYS are the MANURE for SUCCESS! I shall be celebrated in Jesus name.

THE BIBLE-IN-ONE-YEAR: (JOSHUA 19-21)
BY: BISHOP DR CHRIS E. KWAKPOVWE (CEK)PUBLISHER/WRITER

[Edoman]

LIVING WATER CAC DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE


Thursday, March 5, 2020.

GOD'S RESPONSES TO A SPIRIT-CONTROLLED GIVER

Read: 1 Kings 17:8-24

1 Kings 17:8-24 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,

Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.

And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.

And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.

And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.

And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?
And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.

And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?

And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.

And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.

And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.

MEMORISE: And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, "The Lord give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the Lord." Then they would go to their own home (1 Samuel 2:20)

EXPOSITION

Whenever God has a burden in His heart, He looks for people He can use to meet it. For instance, giving to the poor is bringing solution to a particular burden in God's heart. God created the rich and the poor. If you are rich in your own capacity, you are blessed to meet the needs of the poor, for God's sake (Deut. 15:11). The Scripture says, 'He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given' (Prov. 19:17).

When Hannah asked God for the fruit of the womb, she gave two specifications which would bring solution to the immediate burden in God's heart. She asked for a male child who would stand before Yahweh throughout his lifetime. Meanwhile, God was looking for a priest (a man) who would replace Eli's dynasty that had been disqualified for carefreeness and breaking of the priesthood covenant terms (1 Sam. 2:30). God had to give Hannah five more children, added to the fact that Samuel was still to her credit, all for giving Samuel back to Him to meet His own burden (1 Sam. 2:21).

Learn to ask for the directive of the Holy Spirit, and also be sensitive enough to know when to give, what to give, how to give, and who to give, at a particular time. If you allow the Holy Spirit to control you in your acts of giving, God will always bless you in return. 'Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him'. (Rom. 11:35). And, 'There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself' (Prov. 11:24-25).

PRAYER POINTS

1. Father, let me be guided by Your Spirit, to give to the glory of your holy name.
2. Lord, sharpen my sensitivity to know when, what, how and who to give, at every point and in all situations.
3. Lord, help Your church to desist from self-centredness and stinginess, in Jesus' name.

EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: Numbers 14 & Luke 22
Good day and a lovely day to you ahead. God bless your going out and coming in, in Jesus name Amen.
Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior today!