Morning Devotional For Tuesday 28th August

[Edoman]

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES

TUESDAY, 28TH AUGUST.

POWER OF THE SPIRIT

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you…(Acts 1:8).

As Christians, we’re not ordinary people; we’re never to be victims in life. If you’ve found yourself in a predicament, a precarious or desperate situation, be comforted; you have what it takes to win, irrespective of the adversity. There’s something in you: the life and dynamic power of the Spirit to effect changes.

That word “power” in our opening verse is actually “dunamis” (Greek), and it means dynamic power or ability to cause or effect a change. It refers to miracle- working ability; power and ability that’s beyond yourself! It’s a “doing-power,” and it’s sometimes translated “might.” It also means the power of excellence; the extraordinary ability to be efficient and effective in all that you do. This is the life we have in Christ—a life of super-productivity and ever-increasing glory by the Holy Ghost!

No wonder He says in 2 Corinthians 3:5, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” Your ability to do anything; the reason you can be successful at anything; your power for excellence and innovativeness is the Holy Ghost in you. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “…we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

Therefore, if you’re struggling in your life; if it seems you’re putting in so much effort and recording incommensurate success, the chances are that you’re neither conscious nor taking advantage of the power of the Spirit within you. Paul said, “I can do all things through the ability of Christ in me”; the prophet Micah affirmed, “…truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord…” (Micah 3:8).

Become conscious, and take advantage of the power of the Spirit within you. Through that power, you can do the unthinkable, the unimaginable, and the impossible: “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20). This is Christianity; it’s a life of dominion. You don’t need to go from place to place looking for help and seeking power; all the power you need is in you through the Holy Ghost. Put it to work.

CONFESSION

The Lord perfects all that concerns me; His power is at work in me, causing me to will and do that which pleases Him at all times. I’m fulfilling my destiny in Christ, and the Lord is glorified in me today, and always, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

Romans 15:18 - 19 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient— 19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.

Luke 4:14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.

1-Year Bible Reading Plan
1 Corinthians 12 & Psalms 146-150

2-Year Bible Reading Plan
Colossians 4:1-9 & Jeremiah 14


#AFFIRMATIONTRAIN

28TH AUGUST.

I affirm that the life of God is at work in me. I’ve been given the life of splendour, grace, prosperity, and greatness. I am excelling and making progress on every side, and my faith is prevailing over circumstances, as I walk in the fullness of God’s blessings. I am a child of God and a joint heir with Christ.

The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places, and I have a goodly heritage. I am conscious of my glorious heritage in Christ, and through meditation on the Word, and fellowship with the Spirit, I get to know more and enjoy my inheritance in Christ. Halleluiah! I have no consciousness of need, because Christ is in me, and He is my all! With Him, I have everything. My life is one of ever-increasing glory as I live in, and by, the Word, and constantly fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

I live above the economy and the systems of this world because the greater One lives in me! I am not subject to the elements of the world, and my life is a testimony of God’s greatness. Divine might is at work in me, and my victory in Christ is fully assured. Blessed be God. Hallelujah!

SPEAK IN OTHER TONGUES NOW

• Be bold to say the same things that God has said concerning you in His Word. That is what takes you beyond salvation, to enjoy the benefits of salvation ~ Pastor Chris Oyakhilome.

God bless you.

[Edoman]

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
TUESDAY 28TH AUGUST 2018
THEME: ARE YOU STILL IN THE FAITH?

Memorise:
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 2nd Corinthians 13:5

Read: Psalm 139:21-24 (KJV)
21 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Message:-
It is possible for a person who once walked with God to drift out of the faith. This is the reason why 2nd Corinthian 13:5 say:

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

From this scripture, we see that it is also possible for a person not to know that he or she is no longer in the faith, especially if such a fellow has become a reprobate. To become reprobate can be likened to spiritual insanity. When a person is psychologically insane, he or she can no longer differentiate between good and evil. For example, a mad person wandering around naked will regard someone who is properly dressed as abnormal for putting on clothes. In the same way, when a child of God who has been taught to be properly dressed now begins to dress half nude in the name of fashion, something fundamental has gone wrong in his or her life. The fellow must conduct a critical, biblical examination of his or her faith.

The Psalmist made a wise request from the Lord in Psalm 139:23-24. He asked the Lord to carry out a thorough search of his inner man to see if there was anything contrary to His nature in it. This suggests that we can pray to the Lord, as the Revealer of all secrets, to reveal the true state of our hearts to us. When a reprobate person prays this prayer sincerely, God will come to his or her aid to remove the scales covering the eyes of the heart from seeing its true state.

The Psalmist prayed that God should graciously find out to him any iota of wickedness that might exist in him and lead him out of it onto the way of righteousness. The easiest way the Lord does this for His genuine children is through His written word. In Psalm 119:9, the Holy Spirit reveals the secret of righteous living, saying:

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”

The word of God enables us to examine whether we are still in the faith. It acts as a mirror that shows our true state James 1:22-25. When God’s word illuminates your ways, you will see where you might have erred Psalm 119:105. The word does not stop at revealing sin in our lives, it also cleanse us from sin, but only if we allow it impact and change our lives Ephesians 5:26-27.

Beloved, if you sincerely want to examine whether you are still in the faith, study the word.

Action Point
Pray the psalmist’s prayer in Psalm 139:23-24.

Bible in one year:
Psalm 78-80, Matthew 26:47-68,

Hymn 2: I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR

I need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.
Chorus

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior!
I come to Thee

I need Thee every hour,
Stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their power
When Thou art nigh.

I need Thee every hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.

I need Thee every hour,
Teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfil.

I need Thee every hour
Most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine Indeed,
Thou blessed Son.

[Edoman]

*SEEDS OF DESTINY*

TUESDAY 28TH AUGUST 2018

*THE DANGERS OF THE LIFESTYLE OF PRIDE AND ARROGANCE*

(FROM AUGUST 2018 SEEDS OF DESTINY DAILY DEVOTIONAL BY DR. PASTOR PAUL ENENCHE)

SCRIPTURE: Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Arriving at a place of self-satisfaction leads to stagnation in life.

Pride is the undoing of many great destinies. satan lost his glorious place in heaven by the lifestyle of pride and arrogance (Isaiah 14:12). Pride also destroyed the destiny of Queen Vashti (Esther 1:10-22). It was pride that drove King Nebuchadnezzar from being a king to becoming a beast that ate grass for seven years in the wild (Daniel 4:14-16).

Now, what does pride do to a person?
1. Pride makes a person become a god to himself
Pride makes one arrogant, peackockish and ostentatious; it makes a person behave as if he does not need God. Pride is the worship of self. Those who consider themselves beautiful worship their beauty, some of those who have certificate worship their certificate.

2. Pride makes a man’s life to revolve around himself
Just like Lucifer who said, ‘I will ascend, I will…’ (Isaiah 14:12-14), a proud fellow is full of I’s. That is what fills his vocabulary. A proud person would say, ‘I just bought this, I just moved in, I just did…’
When a man’s life revolves around himself, he becomes empty of people and when you are empty of people, you cannot make impact on earth.

3. Pride makes a person too arrogant to be instructed
A proud person is too arrogant to learn; and his arrogance gives rise to his ignorance and so, he has no future.

4. Pride makes one arrive at a place of self-satisfaction
Arriving at a place of self-satisfaction leads to stagnation in life; it makes one not to see the need for progress.

5. Pride blinds people to reality
Pride makes people live in the realm of fantasy and fallacy; so, calamity often becomes their portion. They do not see things as they are.

Beloved, I counsel you to shun the lifestyle of pride and arrogance.

Remember this: Arriving at a place of self-satisfaction leads to stagnation in life.

ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Avoid the lifestyle of pride and arrogance.
3. Always be ready to learn in order to be great in life.

PRAYER: O Lord, I ask that You deliver me from the lifestyle of pride and arrogance. Help me not to miss my place in destiny due to pride, O Lord, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: DEADLY ENEMIES OF DESTINY (PART 5).

DAILY BIBLE READING: Job 28:1 to 30:31, 2 Corinthians 2:12 to 17, Psalm 42:1 to 11, Proverbs 22:7

AMAZING FACT: A cat cannot taste sweetness as it does not have receptors for sweetness.

TODAY IN HISTORY: 28/08/1963 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his "I Have a Dream" speech at a civil rights rally in Washington, DC. More than 200,000 people attended.

QUOTE: Pride reminds God about satan; it is the defilement of the spirit. Culled from WHO ARE YOU? by Dr Paul Enenche.