DATE: MONDAY 19TH JUNE 2017_
*THEME: LUST PULLS ITS VICTIM*
*Memorise:*
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
-James 1:14
*Bible Reading: James 1:12-16*
1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
*MESSAGE*
Many people have been taken captive in different ways. Some have become captives of war, while some others have fallen prey to traps set by the enemy. May God deliver us from satanic booby traps! However, you really need to exercise caution if you do not want to fall prey to the devil. Watch those things you take pleasure in because sooner rather than later, they can become the very things the tempter will use in enticing you! Today‘s memory verse tells us that temptations start with us: they emanate from what we secretly or openly long for. Some people nurse some unvoiced thoughts and ideas and do not really care whether those thoughts agree with the standard of Philippians 4:8. This standard states:
”….whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”
For nonchalant Christians, the devil soon sets them up to reveal exactly what is in their heart, and thereafter they are confronted with temptations. An example here is Esau, who loved good food. He loved eating so much that the devil decided to use food to secure the loss of his destiny, and he fell for it. If you secretly admire the opposite sex, the devil will find out about it someday, and before long, you will be battling with sexual lust or some other form of immorality.
Men are drawn by their own lustful thoughts. Lust pulls the one lusting into further sin. Do everything possible to avoid lust because before you know it, it will bring you into the pit of sin. If you lust after money, before long, you will find yourself in a situation where you will be tempted to sell out on your salvation or betray someone who is close to you in exchange for money, like Judas lscariot and Joseph’s brothers did. What do you secretly lust after? If you ignore it, you will later regret it by the time the tempter is through with you. This is the time to prayerfully check and cut off any seemingly harmless pull from lust. Where there is a pull, it continues until there is a build-up. When the build-up has become formidable, it will become too difflcult to resist its compelling force to sin. Therefore, do everything possible to love only those things that are good, and feed your mind on the word of God. Also, avoid the tendency for a build up by resisting the subtle lure of lust. Prayerfully keep your thoughts in check and closely monitor what you allow into your heart.
*Action Point:*
To prevent sexual sins, covetousness, murders and the likes, stop it at the thought stage. Don’t allow it move from thought to lust.
*BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:*
Judges 9
Jeremiah 50:31-43
*AUTHOR:*
PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
*HYMN 6: DEEPER, DEEPER*
1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.
*Refrain:*
_Oh, deeper yet, I pray,_
_And higher every day,_
_And wiser, blessed Lord,_
_In Thy precious, holy Word._
2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
*[Refrain]*
3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
*[Refrain]*
4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
*[Refrain]*
5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.
*[Refrain]*
Topic: Guard Your Reactions [Saturday June 10,
2017]
He who rebukes a scorner heaps upon himself
abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man gets
for himself bruises. Reprove not a scorner, lest he
hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love
you. Give instruction to a wise man and he will
be yet wiser…. — Proverbs 9:7-9 AMPC
It has been statistically proven that 10 percent
of people will never like you, so stop trying to
have a perfect record with everyone and start
celebrating who you are. A person who knows
how to live independently does not allow the
moods of other people to alter hers.
A story is told of a Quaker man who knew how
to live independently as the valued person God
had created Him to be. One night as he was
walking down the street with a friend, he
stopped at a newsstand to purchase an evening
paper. The storekeeper was very sour, rude, and
unfriendly. The Quaker man treated him with
respect and was quite kind in his dealing with
him. He paid for his paper, and he and his friend
continued to walk down the street. The friend
said to the Quaker, “How could you be so
cordial to him with the terrible way he was
treating you?” The Quaker man replied, “Oh, he
is always that way. Why should I let him
determine how I am going to act?”
Lord, help me to not allow others to steal my
joy and peace by the things they say and do. I
want to be kind and cordial, but I won’t let my
mood to be controlled. Amen.
Topic: Guard Your Reactions [Saturday June 10,
2017]
He who rebukes a scorner heaps upon himself
abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man gets
for himself bruises. Reprove not a scorner, lest he
hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love
you. Give instruction to a wise man and he will
be yet wiser…. — Proverbs 9:7-9 AMPC
It has been statistically proven that 10 percent
of people will never like you, so stop trying to
have a perfect record with everyone and start
celebrating who you are. A person who knows
how to live independently does not allow the
moods of other people to alter hers.
A story is told of a Quaker man who knew how
to live independently as the valued person God
had created Him to be. One night as he was
walking down the street with a friend, he
stopped at a newsstand to purchase an evening
paper. The storekeeper was very sour, rude, and
unfriendly. The Quaker man treated him with
respect and was quite kind in his dealing with
him. He paid for his paper, and he and his friend
continued to walk down the street. The friend
said to the Quaker, “How could you be so
cordial to him with the terrible way he was
treating you?” The Quaker man replied, “Oh, he
is always that way. Why should I let him
determine how I am going to act?”
Lord, help me to not allow others to steal my
joy and peace by the things they say and do. I
want to be kind and cordial, but I won’t let my
mood to be controlled. Amen.
Topic: The Superiority of Divine Direction
[Saturday June 10, 2017]
“Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy
One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which
teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by
the way that thou shouldest go” (Isaiah 48:17).
Divine guidance is a covenant; God is
committed to guiding the believer, but one thing
that continually contests for a place in man’s
heart as an alternative to divine direction is
expertise. That has to do with knowledge, skill
and competence. A man who banks on his
expertise would say, “I have sufficient
knowledge, I have good understanding of this
issue, I am a man of myself, I am competent.”
In this Kingdom, competence is not a guarantee
for success in life. Apostle Paul said in I
Corinthians1:27, “…God hath chosen the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise; and
God hath chosen the weak things of the world
to confound the things which are mighty.”
There are many people who are super-qualified
in terms of degrees and papers; they have the
facts yet they are struggling in life because they
lack direction. There are others who don’t have
as much qualifications yet they are doing
exploits, all doors open to them, because they
are directed by God. Many people disqualify
themselves from getting God’s best in life by
relying on their skills and knowledge. Please
understand that what obtains in the world does
not obtain in the kingdom of God. The fact that
you can speak good grammar for instance,
doesn’t make you a preacher.
SIN BRINGS DEATH – Saturday June
10 th 2017
Memorise: And she shall bring forth a
son, and thou shalt call his name
JESUS: for he shall save his people
from sins. Matthew 1:21
Read: Matthew 1:18-21 (King James
Version)
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was
on this wise: When as his mother Mary
was espoused to Joseph, before they
came together, she was found with
child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a
just man, and not willing to make her a
public example, was minded to put her
away privily.
20 But while he thought on these
things, behold, the angel of
the Lord appeared unto him in a dream,
saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear
not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for
that which is conceived in her is of the
Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and
thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he
shall save his people from their sins.
Bible in one year: Joshua 15-17,
Jeremiah 46:13-28, Hymn: Sing hymn
11
MESSAGE:
Today’s memory verse clearly states
that the reason why Jesus Christ came
to this would was to save His people
from sin. Many people fail to realise
the horrors of sin, hence they toy with
it. If only they knew how terrible sin is,
they would maintain a great distance
from it. Romans 6:23 says the wages
of sin is death. This “death” is not
limited to physical death but also
extends to every area of life. Do you
know that sin can lead to physical
death? Going by the laws of many
countries today, if a man is convicted
of killing a fellow human being, he
might have to pay with his own life. In
this case, the sin of murder has led to
physical death. Beyond physical death,
sin can also bring about material
death, marital death, spiritual death,
and more. Sin brings death [Saturday
10, June 2017]. Do you know that for
failing to comply with the divine
commandment on tithes and offering,
some people who once enjoyed a boom
in their businesses have had to face
dryness of the worst kind – almost to
the point of begging for food? This is
how sin can bring about material and
financial death. It can also attract
emotional death. A man or woman
cheating on his or her spouse will bring
about emotional death in that
relationship. In any way you have
attracted death to yourself, may the
mercy of God intercept judgement and
turn its sword away from you in Jesus’
Name!
As far as God is concerned, there is
only one penalty for sin, and that is
death (Ezekiel 18:20 ). Open Heavens
10 June 2017: Saturday daily
devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye-
Sin brings death. It is important to note
here that this death is separation from
God. If you were brought before the
judgement throne of God, accused of
just one act of sin, you would not be
made to face a sentence of three
months, one year or even five years
imprisonment; God’s judgement for
every size of sin is the same – death.
Today, we categorise sin according to
our understanding. We call some sins
“high crimes” while some others are
seen as harmless. However, whether a
sin is so light or so “innocent” that
everyone approves of it does not
matter to God. All sins fall short of His
standard and are all punishable by
death. We are created to live our lives
fully connected to God, but when sin
comes in, it separates us from our only
Source and Sustainer. If the Blood of
Jesus is not applied to wash away a
person’s sins, the drift away from God
continues until physical death occurs
and the fellow is forever banished to
Hell. In what way is your sinful lifestyle
bringing death upon you today? Rise
up and run to the cross of Jesus
Christ, asking for forgiveness of sins
and cleansing by His Blood. Invite Him
to come into your heart, and thereafter
keep a great distance from sin.
Prayer Point
Father, in Your mercy, reverse every
form of death I have brought upon
myself.
DATE: THURSDAY 8TH JUNE 2017
THEME: WHY GOD SOMETIMES DELAYS
Memorise:
And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; Genesis 2:21
Read: Genesis 2:21-22
2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
2:22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
MESSAGE
From experience, we know of a truth that God answers prayers. lt is also common knowledge among those who walk with God that on several occasions, despite consistent prayers, God may take His time before intervening in a given situation. In fact, in some cases, He may allow the situation to deteriorate to its extreme limits before He steps in. This was the experience of Mary and Martha, sisters to Lazarus (John 11:1-6). Why would God wait until you are completely helpless before He turns things around? It could be because He does not want you to tamper with what He is about to do. When a doctor wants to perform an operation, he puts his patient to sleep. When God was about to form Eve out of Adam, He put him into a deep sleep. Genesis 2:21 says,
“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof.”
Do you know that God still likes to do some great things without any contribution or interference from us? Sometimes, He may allow us to get to a point of helplessness before He moves in to begin His work. He wants you to be absolutely surrendered to Him so that when He begins to do what He wants to do, you will not consider your own ideas. If you are ever so self-willed, you may need to visit the bus stop of helplessness repeatedly, but if you are completely yielded to Him, this may not occur too often in your life. How submissive are you to God?
Similarly, God may take His time before coming to your aid because it is in those extreme moments that prayers are said from the depth of the soul (1 Samuel 1:15). When you are totally helpless, you will pray from your heart and not from your head. In Matthew 15:21-28, when the woman whose daughter was grievously tormented of the devil came to Jesus asking for help, the Lord ignored her, and the disciples asked that she be sent away because she was too noisy. The woman simply said, “You haven’t heard any noise yet. Whether you like it or not, I am not leaving here without my miracle.” Then the Lord said to her, III cannot give the children’s bread to dogs.” She said, “Fine, l agree l am a dog, but this dog is going to get her miracle today.” Since she had no alternative, she knew she had reached her last bus stop, and she refused to give up. People who are totally helpless pray a different kind of prayer compared to those who have alternatives. Whatever your needs may be today, as you ask God, He will answer you in Jesus’ Name. Have you reached your flnal bus stop? ls Jesus Christ your last hope, or do you have other alternatives?
Action Point:
Some delays are in your best interest. Ask God to make every delay to work in your favour.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Joshua 10-11
Jeremiah 44:20-30
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 1: MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE
1. My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Saviour divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my guilt away,
Oh, let me from this day
Be wholly Thine!
2. May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me,
Oh, may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire!
3. While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside.
4.When life’s swift race is run,
Death’s cold work almost done
Be near to me.
Blest Saviour, then in love,
Fear and distrust remove;
Oh, bear me safe above,
A ransomed soul!
REGRETS AND DREAD
Key Scripture: Philippians 3: 13,14
“I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured
and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it
is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind
and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press
on toward the goal to win the [supreme and
heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is
calling me upward.”
When making decisions in your life, it’s easy to
start asking yourself the question, “Did I make
the right decision?” And although some of that
can be healthy, it can also quickly get out of
balance and lead your heart to place of regret
and dread. When this happens, it’s also easy to
start regretting the past and dreading the future,
and in fact, both are “thieves of joy.”
Many people stay trapped in the past. There is
only one thing that can be done about the past,
and that is to forget it. When we make mistakes
or bad decision (which we all do from time to
time), the only thing we can do is ask God’s
forgiveness and go on. Like Paul, we are all
pressing toward the mark of perfection, but none
of us have arrived.
I believe Paul enjoyed his life and ministry and
this “one aspiration” of his was part of the
reason why. Like us, he was pressing toward the
mark of perfection, admitting that he had not
arrived, but having insight on how to enjoy his
life while he was making the trip.
And if regret has us constantly looking
backwards in the past, dread has us always
fearing forwards concerning the future. I spend a
lot of years with regret pulling one arm and dread
pulling on the other. The result was that I felt
like I was being pulled apart, and I didn’t even
know what the problem was.
Dreading things can become a bad habit, an
attitude that develops out of lethargy or laziness,
or perhaps because of multiple bad decisions.
Procrastination and dread often work together.
An upcoming task is dreaded, so procrastination
says, “Put it off until later.” That sounds good for
a few minutes, but the thing is still there to be
dreaded until it is finished. It would be far better
to do it and be free to go on to other things.
Final Thoughts and Action Items
I have learned from experience that living life
one day at a time is something that can be done.
God gives me the grace for today, but He does
not give me grace for yesterday or tomorrow.
When I am trying to live yesterday today, I can
easily start to second guess the decisions made
and I find myself full of unanswerable questions
and regret. When I live tomorrow today, I allow
fear of the unknown to creep in and I can easily
start walking through life with endless amounts
of dread. Ultimately, living in either regret or
dread is pressure. And what I’ve discovered over
time is to take the pressure off by believing God
and trusting His Word.
Action Items
Are you relying on the grace that’s been given to
you today? Have you asked God to help you rely
on that grace?
Make a mental list of how many times you either
think or say things like, “I just regret that
decision,” or “I’m really concerned about what’s
going to happen tomorrow.”
Decide that today is the only day God has given
you and commit to do the very best that you
can. At the end of your day, ask God to help you
change the habit of regret and dread.
For more on this topic, check out Joyce’s book
Enjoy Your Journey .
June 07,2017
Topic:- The Head and Not the Tail
Deuteronomy 28:13
And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath…
One of our church members saw his sales
performance hit rock bottom by the middle of
the year. As a result, he was ranked 320 out of
the 420 financial advisers in his company.
Devastated and on the verge of giving up, he
started listening to my messages and claiming
God’s promises such as “the Lord will make you
the head and not the tail; you shall be above
only, and not be beneath” and “many who are
first will be last, and the last first”. (Matthew
19:30)
He committed everything to God because he
believed that only God could turn things around
for him. And God did just that.
By the end of that year, he was ranked second in
his branch and 10th in the whole company! He
qualified for a trip for two to Barcelona, Spain,
worth about S$20,000. That was not all. For the
first time in his 12 years as a financial adviser,
he qualified for the Million Dollar Round Table
Award. Only the top six per cent of advisers in
the entire industry qualify for this international
award.
Beloved, when God makes you the head, you will
end up on top of your circumstances. Consider
the story of Joseph. (Genesis 39) Even when he
was a slave, he was the head and not the tail
because God prospered everything that he did.
“But Pastor Prince, when I look at my life, there
are times when I am up and there are times
when I am down. Yet, the Bible says that I will
be above only. I don’t understand this.”
What you are going through is only temporal.
Keep believing that you are above only and not
beneath, even when you have hit rock bottom. It
is God who always causes you to triumph in
Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:14) You cannot cause
yourself to triumph. Only God can and He has
promised in His Word that you will be the head
and not the tail, above only and not beneath. So
believe His Word in spite of your circumstances
and expect to see victory!
Thought For The Day
Even when you have hit rock bottom, keep
believing God’s promise that you shall be above
only and not beneath.
THE REASON FOR PRAISE (PRT 3) |
Today: 2017-06-07
Don’t flatten your life because of a flat
tyre, don’t discharge your destiny because
of an uncharged battery. Don’t knock your
soul because of a knocked engine, don’t
leave yourself in a sack because you were
sacked from a job! The fact that you are
alive to even know what you need is
enough to thank God for. God can’t stop
you from drowning until you stop frowning
because a frowning environment is not His
habitat, His habitat is praise (Psalm 22:3).
If you want to terminate your drowning,
stop frowning. Reorder your priorities.
Understand that things are temporary but
God is constant and except there is life,
there would be no reason for things. So,
Give Him praise!
DATE: WEDNESDAY 7TH JUNE 2017
THEME: PLEASE GOD AND NOT SELF
Memorise:
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. John 4:34
Read: 2 Timothy 3:1-5
3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are
good,
3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
MESSAGE
From Matthew 6:10, we understand that man was created to do God’s will on earth so that he can ultimately continue doing so when he gets to Heaven. Although God has a plan for everyone He created, He will not force us to do anything against our will, because He created us as free moral agents with the power of choice. After Adam sinned, he lost God’s glory and began to pursue a life of self-will (Romans 3:23). This self-will has ultimately led to self-centeredness in mankind. When you study the vices that the Holy Spirit forewarned us will be rife in the last days, you will discover that one common theme summarises them all: selfishness.
In the world of instant gratification and individualism that we live in today, it is either you are God-centred or self-centred. It is either you consider how an event will benefit God’s Kingdom or how you will personally benefit from it. If you are a lover of self, it will be difficult for you to really please God. Why? Your service will be plastic and superficial, having no depth in the things of the Kingdom. A self-centred individual cannot make sacrifices for God.
All he or she is interested in is personal convenience, whether in service, worship or giving. lf such a fellow gives a big donation to any kingdom project, you will discover that the motive behind the giving is to have it announced for the sake of his or her ego.
A self-centred fellow lives in rebellion against God. He loves pleasure a lot because it delights him. Samson lived such a selfish life, even as a leader of God’s people. He could not be controlled by his parents because selfish people are in charge of their own lives, not God or anyone else. His parents warned him against marrying an unbeliever, but he refused. He went ahead because she satisfied the lust of his eyes and that of his flesh (Judges 14:1-3). Your choices in life must be God-centred. Jesus is our perfect example. While on earth, He was mainly preoccupied with doing His Father’s will (John 4:34). Anytime His personal desire clashed with that of His Father, just like it happened at the Garden of Gethsemane, He subordinated His will to God’s will (Luke 22:41-42). What kind of life are you living? Are you going about pleasing yourself or making God happy in all that you do?
Prayer Point:
Father, in all that I do, help me always remember to please You and not myself.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Joshua 8:9
Jeremiah 44:11-19
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 6: DEEPER, DEEPER
1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.
Refrain:
Oh, deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.
2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
[Refrain]
3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
[Refrain]
4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
[Refrain]
5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.
[Refrain]
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