THE WAY OUT – Wednesday September 23rd 2015

THE WAY OUT – Wednesday September 23rd 2015

THE WAY OUT 

Memorise: Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Matthew 10:8

Read: Matthew 10:5-8, These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

 Bible in one year: Leviticus 10-11, 1st Corinthians 7:17-40

MESSAGE

Our Lord Jesus Christ has many names and titles. The purpose of these names is to enlighten the eyes of our understanding to the reality of His person. One of such names is The Way. In John 14:6, the Lord Jesus revealed this truth about Himself to us:

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

What does the Lord mean when He says He is the Way? If you need to get to a location and you are at a loss on how to get there, the wise thing to do is to ask people at your current location the way out of where you are in order to get to where you wish to go. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Way out of the unpleasant situation you are in presently. He is also the Way into the new location of your choice. The Bible reveals Jesus as the Way out of sickness (1st Peter 2:24). In Acts 9:32-35, Peter visited some believers living in Lydda and met Aeneas who had been bedridden for eight years. He simply introduced him to Jesus Christ, and Aeneas followed the Name of Jesus out of sickness into divine healing and health.

The Name of Jesus is also the Way out of death (Acts 9:40-41). Our Bible reading shows that the sick, the lepers and the dead can follow the pathway of Jesus out of their circumstances. Anyone who has an appointment with death can be delivered by the following the Name of Jesus, because Jesus is the way out of any situation having to do with death. Some 276 sailors, soldiers and prisoners were lost at sea for fourteen days and faced sure death in the hands of a violent hurricane called Euroclydon (Act 27:12-44). For fourteen days, their souls were overwhelmed with the fear of death and they could not eat anything. They all would have died but for the presence of Paul who bore the Name of Jesus amongst them. The Lord sent His angel of Paul to show them the way of escape from the clutches of death. The Lord showed them that their salvation depended on them remaining in their sinking ship which was at the mercy of the winds (Acts 27:31)! The pathway that goes through Jesus led them through the valley of the shadow of death, and not one soul among them was lost (Act 27:44). Do you have an early appointment with death that agents of darkness have fixed for you? In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, that appointment with death is cancelled! Has sickness drawn you so close to death? In the Name of Jesus, you shall not die but live! You shall recover in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point

Father, quieten every storm that wants to deliver death to my life, family, business or ministry now, in Jesus’ Name.

Reference: from open Heavens daily with Pastor E.A. Adeboye 

THE WAY OUT 

Memorise: Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Matthew 10:8

Read: Matthew 10:5-8, These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

 Bible in one year: Leviticus 10-11, 1st Corinthians 7:17-40

MESSAGE

Our Lord Jesus Christ has many names and titles. The purpose of these names is to enlighten the eyes of our understanding to the reality of His person. One of such names is The Way. In John 14:6, the Lord Jesus revealed this truth about Himself to us:

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

What does the Lord mean when He says He is the Way? If you need to get to a location and you are at a loss on how to get there, the wise thing to do is to ask people at your current location the way out of where you are in order to get to where you wish to go. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Way out of the unpleasant situation you are in presently. He is also the Way into the new location of your choice. The Bible reveals Jesus as the Way out of sickness (1st Peter 2:24). In Acts 9:32-35, Peter visited some believers living in Lydda and met Aeneas who had been bedridden for eight years. He simply introduced him to Jesus Christ, and Aeneas followed the Name of Jesus out of sickness into divine healing and health.

The Name of Jesus is also the Way out of death (Acts 9:40-41). Our Bible reading shows that the sick, the lepers and the dead can follow the pathway of Jesus out of their circumstances. Anyone who has an appointment with death can be delivered by the following the Name of Jesus, because Jesus is the way out of any situation having to do with death. Some 276 sailors, soldiers and prisoners were lost at sea for fourteen days and faced sure death in the hands of a violent hurricane called Euroclydon (Act 27:12-44). For fourteen days, their souls were overwhelmed with the fear of death and they could not eat anything. They all would have died but for the presence of Paul who bore the Name of Jesus amongst them. The Lord sent His angel of Paul to show them the way of escape from the clutches of death. The Lord showed them that their salvation depended on them remaining in their sinking ship which was at the mercy of the winds (Acts 27:31)! The pathway that goes through Jesus led them through the valley of the shadow of death, and not one soul among them was lost (Act 27:44). Do you have an early appointment with death that agents of darkness have fixed for you? In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, that appointment with death is cancelled! Has sickness drawn you so close to death? In the Name of Jesus, you shall not die but live! You shall recover in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point

Father, quieten every storm that wants to deliver death to my life, family, business or ministry now, in Jesus’ Name.

 

 

“Gird Up” Your Mind by Joyce Meyer – posted September 23, 2015

“Gird Up” Your Mind

by Joyce Meyer – posted September 23, 2015

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
– 1 Peter 1:13 NKJV

You and I aren’t accustomed to hearing the phrase “gird up” today. But in biblical times both men and women wore long, skirt-like outfits. If they tried to run in those clothes, there was a good chance they could get tangled up in the long fabrics and stumble. When they needed to move quickly, they gathered the material of their garments and pulled it up so they could walk or run freely. They would “gird up” their clothing.

When the Bible tells us to “gird up the loins” of our minds, I believe it means to get our minds off of everything that would cause us to stumble as we run the race God has set before us. I think it may also refer to concentrating on the thing at hand rather than allowing our thoughts to wander all over the place. God has a good plan for each of us, but we must walk the path that leads us to it.

Focus and concentration are both real challenges in our world today. We have a great deal of information coming at us all the time, and to keep our minds on what our purpose is requires great determination, and even training.

You might get up on Monday and fully intend to start your day by spending time with God in prayer and Bible study. Then you intend to get three specific projects finished that day. You need to go to the grocery store, get some maintenance done on your car, and finish cleaning out a closet that you started working on last week. Your intention is good, but if you don’t focus on those projects, you will surely be pulled away by other things or people. Girding up your mind is another way of saying “stay focused on what you need to do.”

Trust in Him Have you developed an ability to concentrate and focus on what you need to do? In order to stay on God’s track for your life, you must keep focused and trust Him to be your guide.

You Have A Double-Portion Inheritance

23
Sep

Isaiah 61:6–7, NIV

And you will be called priests of the Lord…You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. Instead of their shame My people will receive a double portion…they will inherit a double portion in their land…

You are called “priests of the Lord” because Jesus has cleansed you with His blood and made you kings and priests to God. (Revelation 1:5–6) And as priests of the Lord, God says to you, “You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.” And you will “inherit a double portion in their land”.

This promise came true for a church member who received his double portion while working for one of the top American companies in Singapore. Within a short time, he received two pay increments. And within just two years, he received an unexpected promotion to a senior position in the company. It was unexpected because the norm to qualify for such a promotion in the company was four years.

He was also named the recipient of a privileged stock award worth a five-figure sum, the net value of which was likely to double, judging by the then prevailing bullish stock market. He acknowledged that it was certainly God’s favor because past awardees were a very small number of top management personnel who had made significant contributions to the company. And only an even smaller per cent of their worldwide employees had ever received this prestigious award. He was only the second recipient, besides his boss, in the Singapore office to receive it.

This church member literally inherited a double portion because he put his trust in the Lord and in His Word.

Beloved, believe God when He says that His people will receive a double portion. This double portion includes blessings of favor, fruitfulness, success and health. In fact, the people around you will look at you and your descendants, and acknowledge that you are a people that the Lord has blessed!

Thought For The Day

As priests of the Lord, you have a double-portion inheritance.

Only Christ’s Atonement Satisfies God Sep 22, 2015

Only Christ’s Atonement Satisfies God

Today, Jews still observe Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. As the name suggests, it is a day set aside to make atonement for one’s sins. But for Christians, this beautiful feast points to Jesus and what He did for us on the cross. Because of His sacrifice, all our sins have already been perfectly atoned for. That is why, should we sin, we know that “we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous”. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins.

Now, it does not say that if anyone repents, we have an Advocate with the Father. It says that if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father. The moment a child of God sins, straightaway, his Advocate, Jesus Christ, goes into action to pray for and protect him.

What about repentance then?

The word “repentance” is metanoia in the Greek, which means to change one’s mind. For example, you used to believe that Jesus was just a good man. Then one day, you repented and believed that He is the Son of the living God, who died for your sins and rose again on the third day, and you gladly took Him as your Savior.

Bible repentance is not this idea of hitting or punishing yourself to atone for your sins. Don’t turn it into a human work, like the man who went to a priest to confess his sins. When they were done, the priest asked the man, “By the way, what do you do for a living?” The man replied, “I’m a contortionist,” and proceeded to give a demonstration. Another man came along wanting to confess his sins. When he saw the contortionist all twisted up on the ground, he said, “If this is repentance, forget it!” and ran off!

My friend, there is no need to climb the Himalayas or whip your back bloody to atone for your sins. No amount of self-punishment or crying can atone for them. Your sins have already been punished fully in the body of Jesus. Only His finished work satisfies God. So change your mind and simply believe that Jesus alone is the propitiation for your sins!

Thought For The Day

No amount of self-punishment can atone for your sins. Just rest in the truth that Jesus alone is the propitiation for your sins!

WHEN PIGS ARE WISER – Tuesday September 22nd 2015

WHEN PIGS ARE WISER

Memorise: And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. Mark 5:5

Read: Mark 5:1-13, And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.

And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

Bible in one year: Leviticus 8-9, 1st Corinthians 6:12-7:16
http://eaadeboye.com/audios/#

MESSAGE

It is great to experience deliverance from demons, but it is better to never be repossessed by them after being delivered. A better option than these is not to have being possessed by demons at all. If you have never been possessed by demons all your life, you do not know what God has done for you. These two things are common to all those who have been possessed before: they suffered great losses and went through hell. Take for instance the Gadarene demoniac in our Bible reading: what he would never do to himself in his right senses, he did while demons were inside him. He cut his body with sharp stones, bled and felt the pain, and yet he compulsively repeated this often. In other words, the demons in him told him to hurt his own body as if it was the body of an enemy, and he obeyed even though he felt the pain. The demons tried to use him to destroy himself. Do you know that even today, demonic spirits still compel their victims to destroy themselves? We should not be surprised of this, as Jesus in John 10:10a already revealed their mission to us:

“The thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:”

All over the world today, demons of addition gradually lure people into taking degenerative substances such as cocaine, heroin, Indian hemp, cigarettes, tobacco powder (snuff), etc. After a while, such people discover that they are unable to break away from these substances. The aim of these demonic spirits of addition is to destroy their bodies. In the same manner, these spirits get people into drinking alcohol, and before long, they become alcoholics. The operations of the demons of lust follow the same pattern. They get their victims into immorality, sodomy, lesbianism, and other sexual sins, so as to make them destroy themselves. 1st Corinthians 6:19 says:

“What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”

The objective of these demons is to make their victims destroy their bodies to the extent that the Holy Spirit will not come near it, not to talk of entering in. unfortunately, do you know that some people are happy to harbour demons because of certain benefits they derive from them; for example, practitioners of witchcraft? The pigs that were at the receiving end of the demons cast out of the Gadarene demoniac were more sensible than such people. They preferred to drown rather than to allow demons inhabit them. Are you as wise as these pigs? If you have any spirit other than the Holy Spirit inside you, you need help through deliverance.

Action point

Ask God to deliver anyone under the manipulative influence of demons in your local church.

Reference: from open Heavens daily with Pastor E.A. Adeboye

WHEN PIGS ARE WISER

Memorise: And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. Mark 5:5

Read: Mark 5:1-13, And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.

And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

Bible in one year: Leviticus 8-9, 1st Corinthians 6:12-7:16
http://eaadeboye.com/audios/#

MESSAGE

It is great to experience deliverance from demons, but it is better to never be repossessed by them after being delivered. A better option than these is not to have being possessed by demons at all. If you have never been possessed by demons all your life, you do not know what God has done for you. These two things are common to all those who have been possessed before: they suffered great losses and went through hell. Take for instance the Gadarene demoniac in our Bible reading: what he would never do to himself in his right senses, he did while demons were inside him. He cut his body with sharp stones, bled and felt the pain, and yet he compulsively repeated this often. In other words, the demons in him told him to hurt his own body as if it was the body of an enemy, and he obeyed even though he felt the pain. The demons tried to use him to destroy himself. Do you know that even today, demonic spirits still compel their victims to destroy themselves? We should not be surprised of this, as Jesus in John 10:10a already revealed their mission to us:

“The thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:”

All over the world today, demons of addition gradually lure people into taking degenerative substances such as cocaine, heroin, Indian hemp, cigarettes, tobacco powder (snuff), etc. After a while, such people discover that they are unable to break away from these substances. The aim of these demonic spirits of addition is to destroy their bodies. In the same manner, these spirits get people into drinking alcohol, and before long, they become alcoholics. The operations of the demons of lust follow the same pattern. They get their victims into immorality, sodomy, lesbianism, and other sexual sins, so as to make them destroy themselves. 1st Corinthians 6:19 says:

“What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”

The objective of these demons is to make their victims destroy their bodies to the extent that the Holy Spirit will not come near it, not to talk of entering in. unfortunately, do you know that some people are happy to harbour demons because of certain benefits they derive from them; for example, practitioners of witchcraft? The pigs that were at the receiving end of the demons cast out of the Gadarene demoniac were more sensible than such people. They preferred to drown rather than to allow demons inhabit them. Are you as wise as these pigs? If you have any spirit other than the Holy Spirit inside you, you need help through deliverance.

Action point

Ask God to deliver anyone under the manipulative influence of demons in your local church.

Reference: from open Heavens daily with Pastor E.A. Adeboye

More Than Enough by Joyce Meyer – posted September 22, 2015

More Than Enough

by Joyce Meyer – posted September 22, 2015

And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 4:19Paul tells us God will “liberally supply” all of our needs. He doesn’t promise God will give us everything we want, but he does assure us God will meet our every need.

Many times we think of needs in terms of the basic necessities of life. These represent our physical needs, but I believe God created us to need more than these essentials. We don’t simply need money, nourishment, a roof over our heads, and clothes to wear. We also need wisdom, strength, health, friends, and loved ones; and we need the gifts and talents and abilities to help us do what we are supposed to do in life. We need many things, and God is willing to meet all of our needs when we trust and obey Him.

Power Thought: God liberally supplies all of my needs.

A Little Every Day Kenneth Copeland Ministries daily devotional 22 September Tuesday

Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.
Luke 13:18-19
If you’re going to grow in the kingdom of God, you’re going to do it just like a seed that’s been planted in the ground. How does a seed grow? All at once? No, it grows constantly—24 hours a day—a little all the time until it accomplishes what it was created to do.
Most of us don’t operate that way spiritually. We study and pray very hard for a few days and then quit. Then, when some disaster comes, we make a mad attempt to pray and stand on the Word, all the while realizing that, for some reason, we’re just not as strong as we ought to be.
There’s no such thing as an overnight success in the kingdom of God! Real strength, real growth comes as you consistently and constantly keep the Word before your eyes, in your ears, and in the midst of your heart. Not just when you want to or when you feel like it, but constantly, like the seed, a little all the time.
A man came up to me once and said, “Man, your ministry just took off overnight, didn’t it?”
“If it did,” I answered, “it was certainly the longest night I ever spent in my life!”
From his perspective my success did seem to spring up quickly. That’s because he didn’t see me during all those hours and weeks and months and years I spent in the Word of God. He didn’t see the daily process that lay behind that success. He just saw the results.
Make up your mind to begin that daily process of constant growth today. Determine to start putting the Word in your heart consistently. Every day a line here, a line there—a tape here, a tape there.
Begin to act as though that Word is true every hour of the day regardless of what comes or how you feel. Keep adding to your faith—meditating on it, confessing it, seven days a week.
Eventually, your faith will be bigger than you ever dreamed it could be.

Scripture Reading:

Luke 13:18-21

Sealed By God – Joel Osteen Ministries daily devotional 22 September Tuesday

Today’s Scripture
“‘…I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”
(Haggai 2:23, NIV)
Sealed By God
We don’t often hear about signet rings anymore; but in Bible times, they were very significant. The signet ring was used to identify the message or messenger and the authority they had. In other words, you knew something was from the king because it was marked by his signet ring. It was representative of power and authority. This verse is saying that you are the mark of authority of Almighty God. You have been chosen and set apart to be identified with Him.
When you have someone’s power and authority, you have access to everything they have. It’s like having power of attorney; you have the authority to act on behalf of that individual. As a believer in Jesus, you are marked with His seal. Think of all you have access to today! Think about the authority you have. Everything He has is available to you—healing, provision, strength, peace, joy. You have been given authority to “sign His name” in order to receive His blessings. You are God’s seal, and you are marked to live the abundant life He has in store for you!
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for choosing me and calling me Your own. Help me to fully understand the authority You’ve given by Your Son, Jesus. I receive all You have for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

MIND WHO YOU FOLLOW Today: 2015-09-22

MIND WHO YOU FOLLOW

Today: 2015-09-22

 

Who you follow determines what follows you.

The company you keep determines the accomplishment you make.

How far you follow determines how far you will go and how well you see.

How well in touch you are determines quality of what you touch.

Sow Success – Joel Osteen Ministries daily devotional 20 September Sunday

Today’s Scripture
“Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you.”
(Ecclesiastes 11:1, NLT)
Sow Success
God has a system in place in order to bless you and it works on the principle of sowing and reaping. What you pour out to others, it will come back to you in increased measure. When you give generously, a generous harvest will return to you. When you help others succeed, you will find abundant success on your own path, too.
There are people in your life who hold the keys for you to reach your full potential. These are people that God has placed in your life for you to help along. The higher they rise up, the higher you will rise up, too. When you give generously of your time, talent and resources, you are setting yourself up for greater success.
What are you doing to invest in the lives of the people around you? Are you helping others get ahead? Step out and sow a seed. Look for ways to help others. As you sow success, you’ll reap success and move forward into the abundant life He has in store for you!
A Prayer for Today
“Father, I open my heart to everything You have in store for me. Use me to be a blessing in the lives of others. Show me where to invest my time, talent and resources to help others succeed for Your glory in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
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