RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL

A REAL SPIRITUAL BIRTH

Wednesday, May 24th.2017

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Being born again is much more than changing your behaviour or turning over a new leaf. When you received Christ into your life, something actually happened; there was a real spiritual birth. You were born of the Word of God and the Spirit of God. That’s how come you have the life, nature and character of God in your spirit; it’s a completely new life.

Romans 6:6 says, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”The “old man,” the life you had before you were born again, isn’t suspended; it’s dead. You’re a new man. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” The Greek rendering of the expression “new creature” refers to a new species of being; one that never existed before—one without a past.

In the presence of God, everything you were, and did before you were born again never existed; there’s no record, because you’re a new creation, a new being. Christians who are ignorant of this are held in bondage to their past, which invariably makes them ineffective in the things of God.
Understand that your spirit has come alive to God, and seeks only to please Him and do His will now that you’re born again. You might ask, “How come some people still do the wrong things even after they’ve been born again?” The truth is, those things don’t come from their human spirit, but from the “unrenewed” mind and the senses. This is the reason you must keep renewing your mind with the Word. Keep learning, meditating on, and living the Word. That way, you’ll train your spirit to rule over your mind and the flesh.

You’re the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. You’ve been born into a newness of life; live accordingly.

CONFESSION.
I live in victory, and walk in righteousness. The Word of God renews my mind, strengthens my spirit, and purifies my soul. The glory of God is revealed in me today as I meditate on the Word, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further Study
Colossians 3:9-10 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new [man], which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Daily Scripture Reading.
1-Year Bible Reading Plan: John 11:17-57,
2 Kings 13-15
2-Year Bible Reading Plan: Mark 12:28-34,
Numbers 27

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL

MONDAY, 22ND MAY. 2017

HE’S ALIVE AND AT WORK IN YOU.

For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:13 NIV).
The thought in our opening verse is such a powerful blessing. It lets you know that there’s a divine force, something supernatural and completely beyond you, that makes you do the things you do as a Christian. That force or power is Christ in you.

When you study the life of Jesus in His earth-walk, you’ll see that power at work in Him. Acts 10:38 declares, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” It was God working in Him to give sight to the blind, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, mend the broken hearted, deliver those who were oppressed of the devil, and even raise the dead.

That same Christ, in His mighty power, is at work in you through the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul in Colossians 1:29 refers to how he took advantage of this energy of the Spirit that works mightily in us: “Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.” Then, in our opening verse, notice that he didn’t speculate; he didn’t say “Well, maybe it’s God that’s working in you,” no. He stated a definite truth: It’s God who’s at work in you, both to will and to act according to His good pleasure.

The good things you do don’t just come from your head or your mind; they’re God-inspired. If it’s good for God and pleasing to Him, and good for people, then He’s the One working in you, making you willing and causing you to act accordingly!
“Christ in you” makes you willing to serve God and helps you do it. He’s alive in you. He talks through you, walks in you, and works in and through you so your life will glorify God. He impacts the world through you. Hallelujah!

PRAYER
Dear Father, thank you, for you’re the One who’s active, alive, and working in and through me, both to will and to fulfil your good pleasure. I’m strengthened by the Word and your Spirit, to express your goodness and love to my world today; I live to fulfil your purpose, and help others do the same, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further Study:
John 2:16-17 For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Hebrews 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
Philippians 2:13 AMP [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.
1-Year Bible Reading Plan:
John 10:22-42, 2 Kings 8-9
2-Year Bible Reading Plan:
Mark 12:13-17, Numbers 25

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL

SUNDAY, 21ST MAY. 2017

HE LIVES IN YOU.

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16).

The Spirit’s communication in the verse above is a very enlightening one. He emphasized a similar thought in 1 Corinthians 6:19, drawing attention to who we really are: “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?”

Many in the Church today are ignorant of this deep spiritual truth. If you’re conscious that the Spirit of God, who is the conveyor of the blessings of God, and of all that’s been given to us in Christ Jesus, lives in you, how could you live an ordinary life? Even if your body has been so bruised, broken, and ravaged by sickness, disease or infirmity, meditating on this truth will revitalise your whole being.

Romans 8:10 says, “And if Christ be in you, (though) the body is (be) dead because of sin…the Spirit is (gives it) life because of righteousness.” The Spirit of God isn’t docile inside you; He’s active. Actually, He perambulates in you. In 2 Corinthians 6:16, He said, “…for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Notice His choice of words: “I will dwell in them,” that means “settle down in them!” He has set up His headquarters in you, but that’s not all. He also said, “I’ll walk in them.” “Walk” here is the Greek word “emperipateo” and it means to patrol the boundaries of a property in order to fix and replace any damaged part or notify of any trouble. Part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in you is to ensure that anything that goes wrong in your body is fixed. If it needs to be renewed, He’ll renew it. No wonder He says, “…He who raised Christ from the dead shall also vitalise your mortal bodies by His spirit that lives in you” (Romans 8:11).

Become conscious that the Holy Spirit lives in you in all His power; He’s all that you need. His presence in you keeps you victorious over the devices of the evil one and the corrupting influences in this world. Hallelujah!
PRAYER
Precious Father, how great thou art! I thank you for the great honour and blessing of having the Holy Spirit live in me; by virtue of His indwelling and abiding presence, I’m infused with divine energy and supernatural wisdom to do the will of God, and live triumphantly over and above circumstances, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further Study:
1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
1-Year Bible Reading Plan:
John 10:1-21, 2 Kings 6-7
2-Year Bible Reading Plan:
Mark 12:1-12, Numbers 24

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL

MONDAY, 15TH MAY. 2017

CHRISTIANITY IS A REAL LIFE.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
When we say Christianity isn’t a religion, there’re those who wonder, “What exactly is the difference?” There’s a great difference. Even though there’s religion in Christianity, Christianity in itself is a real life. Religion is about man’s belief in what he assumes to be: some divine being or some form of spirituality or spiritual consciousness to which he devotes himself. In other words, it’s man’s exploration of that which is spiritually unknown. In religion, man tries to find out if there’s a God. He then hopes that whatever he does will be pleasing to that “spiritual being,” whoever it is, and that he might get some help or recognition from him.
Another part of religion is that man realizes he’s more than a physical body; he has the intuition that he might be a spiritual being and purposes to find out about it. Therefore, he starts dabbling into ideas and activities that might give him some consciousness of the spiritual. All that is religion, but still not even the “Christian religion”; remember we said there’s religion in Christianity, even though Christianity itself isn’t a religion.

The Bible tells us the religion in Christianity: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). But this won’t save you. As Christians, we’re instructed to help the needy, but that’s just one part of what Christians do. You could call that the religious part of Christianity, but Christianity, essentially, is God at work in a man; it’s divinity alive in humanity. It’s the outworking or revelation of the spiritual, in the message of Jesus Christ through human vessels. It’s a living relationship, a fellowship with a living God.

In Christianity, the divine life of Jesus Christ is imparted to the believer’s. So, when you received Christ into your heart, it was a real experience; something actually happened: Christ took up His abode in you. It’s not an assumption, a speculation, a conjecture or a theory; it’s real. You received the pulsating life and nature of God into your spirit. Blessed be God!

PRAYER.
Blessed Father, I thank you for the life of the risen Christ in me. I’m forever grateful for making my heart your home. I walk in the light of my transcendent life in Christ, exuding divine excellence, manifesting power, righteousness, and dominion, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further Study:
John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
1 John 5:11-12 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1-Year Bible Reading Plan:
John 7:1-24, 1 Kings 15-17

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL

THURSDAY, 11TH MAY. 2017

ELEVATED TO HIS CLASS.

But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17).

1 Corinthians 1:9 says God has called us into fellowship (oneness) with His Son Jesus Christ. This is bigger than what the natural mind can conceive, and that’s why some Christians don’t understand it. To be called into the fellowship of Jesus Christ means you’ve been brought into His class; you’re in partnership with Him and participate in His interests. In Him you live, and move, and have your being (Acts 17:28).

You’re not an ordinary person; you’re a joint heir with the Monarch of the universe (Romans 8:17). You’re a member of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones (Ephesians 5:30); meaning you can’t go anywhere or do anything without Him. He’s in you and with you always to guarantee your success in life. No wonder He said that if you’re severed from Him, you can do nothing: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Peter describes our fraternal union with Him rather beautifully; he calls us “Partakers of the divine nature”; associates of the God-kind (2 Peter 1:4). This means we’re in God’s class, having the same life, nature and character with Him. Now we can think like Him, because we have the same mind with Him (1 Corinthians 2:16). We can express and manifest His glory and His righteousness because we’re the epitome of His righteousness, as we’re the effulgence of His glory.
This is Christianity! That God would bring man into His own class of being! We’re superstars from Zion. We’re superior to Satan, and have dominion over the forces of darkness! Hallelujah!

PRAYER
Dear Father, thank you for the oneness and fellowship I enjoy with you through the Holy Spirit that lives in me. Your divine presence in me makes me more than a man. I’m an associate of the God-kind; I live triumphantly above the influences of the world, walking in dominion over Satan and the forces of darkness, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further Study:
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether [we be] Jews or Gentiles, whether [we be] bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Colossians 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
1-Year Bible Reading Plan:
John 5:31-47, 1 Kings 7-8
2-Year Bible Reading Plan:
Mark 9:30-37, Numbers 14

COPIED FROM RHAPSODY OF REALITIES

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL

WEDNESDAY, 3RD MAY. 2017

BE ALL OUT FOR THE GOSPEL.

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
Living for Jesus Christ and making yourself relevant in the ministry of reconciliation are what count the most in life. Everything in your life—your thoughts, ideas, the excellence in your life—should be about soul winning. Refuse to make the lesser things of life your focus; be all out for the Gospel. In 1 Corinthians 9:16, Paul said, “…necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” He was all out for the Gospel. He lived to fulfil God’s dream of making the Gospel known to the Gentiles.

You’re an ambassador and a steward of the mysteries of Christ. You’re a soldier in Christ’s army and must therefore remain militant in bringing God’s Word alive to those in your world, touching them with the love of Christ and the glory of His grace. Don’t be comfortable with ignoring the sinners around you; the Bible says it’s not the will of God that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9). He wants them saved, and He’s counting on you for their salvation.

Romans 10:13-14 says “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” You’re the preacher, sent of God to those in your world who haven’t yet known the Lord; don’t let them keep living without hope, and without God in the world. Take advantage of every opportunity to preach the Gospel to them.

CONFESSION
I’ve received increased grace and ability to fulfil the ministry of reconciliation to those in my world, and in the regions beyond. I’m fervent in soul-winning and intercession; through me, the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ shines brightly in the hearts of men, destroying the shackles of bondage and darkness, and lighting up in them passion for Christ and His righteousness, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Further Study:
Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.
2 Corinthians 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
1-Year Bible Reading Plan:
John 1:1-18, 2 Samuel 15-17
2-Year Bible Reading Plan:
Mark 7:14-23, Numbers 6