Wednesday 24 September 2014
UPWORD SMS
God is rich towards all and reachable by all -Romans 10:12, His grace is made a gift so that it is reachable and accessible by all through faith -Romans 4:16. Believe and reach forth.
DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DEMONSTRATION OF POWER
MEMORISE 1 Corinthians 4:20: For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
READ: 2 Corinthians 6:2
2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Judges 18-19
MESSAGE:
Just before our Lord Jesus Christ left His disciples, they asked Him about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:6). That kingdom was established on this earth on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost came, and the Holy Ghost has been with us ever since. Those who want to be rulers in the kingdom of God must be baptized in the Holy Ghost. This is the only condition for the demonstration of God’s power on earth. The kingdom of God is the kingdom of power. Only those who have power can rule in the kingdom of God. The power we are talking about here refers to the spiritual power which comes only from the Holy Spirit. As soon as you are born-again, you have access to the kingdom of God (John 3:3). However, it is one thing to have access to the kingdom and another thing to be a partaker of it. Anybody who has Christ has no excuse for being powerless, because Jesus Christ is the power of God. As a ruler in the kingdom of God, you must demonstrate power wherever you go. Paul demonstrated this power wherever he ministered the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 2:4 he said:
“And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:”
There is power anywhere the gospel of Jesus Christ is being preached. It is only the power of God that can bring about a positive transformation in the life of an individual. No power of government can transform. People are thrown into prison in order to reform their character, but in most cases, they return from prison worse off. Those who are born-again know that there is something awesome about the salvation experience that cannot be explained. When Jesus Christ comes into your life, He makes you a new creature. There is no civilian in the kingdom of God. Anyone truly in the kingdom is a soldier, and wherever you go, you are expected to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out demons. You need the power to be a carrier of God’s glory. You need the power of the Holy Spirit to perform signs and wonders. Our God is a God of signs and wonders and He has assured us that He would supply all the resources we need to perform these signs and wonders, according to Mark 16:15-20. As soon as Jesus gave the orders, the disciples went from place to place. The Lord went with them, and miracles happened. God is no respecter of persons: what He has done for others and through others, He will do for you and through you. If you are not yet born-again, you cannot experience this power, neither can you partake of it. It is for the sons of God (John 1:12).
PRAYER POINT: Father, what You have done in demonstrating your power through others, do through me also.
Tuesday 23 September 2014
UPWORD SMS
Deuteronomy 15:1 Behold the days of fulfillment and your release! the rod of the wicked shall be broken and their works ended.-Isa.14:3. The Lord steps in for your release today!
DAILY DEVOTIONAL - What kind of Wisdom.
Memorise Corinthians 1:25: Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
READ: Luke 14:28-32
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
MESSAGE:
The Bible in Proverbs 4:7 tells us that wisdom is very important:
”Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”
Wisdom is described as the principal thing. In other words, irrespective of what you want to get from God, make sure you get wisdom first. If you are wise, whatever God gives to you will not lead to your destruction. There are three types of wisdom: the wisdom of Satan, the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. Satanic wisdom is corrupted wisdom. Human wisdom is at times called common sense, whereas the wisdom of God is pure and excellent. It is the wisdom of Satan that propels a person to pull down a fellow human being, in order to get favour. This Satanic wisdom motivates people to look for help from secret societies. Such wisdom eventually destroys the seeker. It is the wisdom of Satan that gives riches through devilish means. All these are contrary to the wisdom of God. It is the wisdom of man that produces business lies. It tells you to use ungodly means in achieving your goals. Common sense will not work with God because it will often be contrary to His will. Any knowledge that tells you that you know more than God is dangerous. You cannot use common sense to interpret your Christian walk or the things that God will want to do in your life. That a virgin would conceive does not have a place in modern science. Sometimes, the wisdom of God will tell you to flee when common sense tells you to stay and defend yourself. There are many people who have played ‘James Bond’ with their lives and unfortunately, did not live to tell the story. For others who survived, it is a sad experience.
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” James 3:17
The wisdom of God is holy wisdom. It is neither the wisdom of hypocrisy nor that which you use for character assassination. The wisdom of God shows you how to make Heaven. The wisdom of God makes you understand that all the commandments of God are for your own benefit. It makes you think about Heaven as you relate with people everyday, thereby drawing you closer to God. This kind of wisdom is not limited to spiritual matters alone; rather, it permeates every aspect of our lives. We can obtain divine wisdom for our daily trade, for leadership and for everyday living.
Key Point: Those who are directed by God will never go astray.
Bible in a Year: Judges 15-17
READ: Luke 14:28-32
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
MESSAGE:
The Bible in Proverbs 4:7 tells us that wisdom is very important:
”Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”
Wisdom is described as the principal thing. In other words, irrespective of what you want to get from God, make sure you get wisdom first. If you are wise, whatever God gives to you will not lead to your destruction. There are three types of wisdom: the wisdom of Satan, the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. Satanic wisdom is corrupted wisdom. Human wisdom is at times called common sense, whereas the wisdom of God is pure and excellent. It is the wisdom of Satan that propels a person to pull down a fellow human being, in order to get favour. This Satanic wisdom motivates people to look for help from secret societies. Such wisdom eventually destroys the seeker. It is the wisdom of Satan that gives riches through devilish means. All these are contrary to the wisdom of God. It is the wisdom of man that produces business lies. It tells you to use ungodly means in achieving your goals. Common sense will not work with God because it will often be contrary to His will. Any knowledge that tells you that you know more than God is dangerous. You cannot use common sense to interpret your Christian walk or the things that God will want to do in your life. That a virgin would conceive does not have a place in modern science. Sometimes, the wisdom of God will tell you to flee when common sense tells you to stay and defend yourself. There are many people who have played ‘James Bond’ with their lives and unfortunately, did not live to tell the story. For others who survived, it is a sad experience.
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” James 3:17
The wisdom of God is holy wisdom. It is neither the wisdom of hypocrisy nor that which you use for character assassination. The wisdom of God shows you how to make Heaven. The wisdom of God makes you understand that all the commandments of God are for your own benefit. It makes you think about Heaven as you relate with people everyday, thereby drawing you closer to God. This kind of wisdom is not limited to spiritual matters alone; rather, it permeates every aspect of our lives. We can obtain divine wisdom for our daily trade, for leadership and for everyday living.
Key Point: Those who are directed by God will never go astray.
Bible in a Year: Judges 15-17
Thursday 18 September 2014
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
If you hear a word within you say 'you cannot paint' then by all means 'paint' and that voice will be silenced.-Vincent Van Gogh
UPWORD SMS
Genesis16:13 Jehovah God is aware and he knows, he sees and cares, he listens and hears. He is working! You shall see it manifest, You shall testify! Jn 5:7. DO HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY AND GOD BLESS YOU.
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