Christian Daily Devotional

“MAKARIOS” (In Christ Jesus, You’re Supremely Blessed)

FROM DISTRESS…TO GREATNESS

by Leave a Comment

FROM DISTRESS…TO GREATNESS;

…Every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men
(1 Samuel 22:2).

Our opening verse describes the condition of the Israelites who gathered themselves unto David; a rendezvous of broken people; they were down and out when they came to David. They were behind in their finances, dissatisfied, unhappy, uncomfortable and discontented. Before then, David had been anointed by the Spirit, through Samuel the Prophet (1 Samuel 16:12- 13). These men gathered to him, because they knew the anointing of God was on him. They knew that the anointing of the Spirit could change their situation for good.

When you read further into the twenty-third chapter of second Samuel, you’d find that, several years later, their hitherto disgruntled state had changed. From being in distress, debt, and discontent, they became David’s mighty men (2 Samuel 23:8). When it was time to give for the building of the temple, these same men who were once in debt, had become so prosperous, and gave bountifully for the construction of the Temple (1 Chronicles 29:6-7). The same thing happens today as we minister the Word to many around the world. Those who receive the Word we share, no matter how miserable and dire their circumstances had been, the Word takes them out of obscurity to greatness. The anointing is on the Word to transform lives and set men up for greatness. It reminds me of when we first started out years ago. Those who came to us were those who some thought were too carnal, broken, dejected or lost to be transformed. However, we had the anointing that made the difference.

Today, their stories have changed, and the same people are doing great and mighty things for the Lord all around the world. Isaiah 32:15, says, “Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.” The Holy Spirit brings the anointing into your life and makes you productive, through the Word. He turns your wilderness into a fruitful field; He causes water to spring up from your desert. With the Holy Spirit, your experience will be that of productivity, growth, increase, expansion and progress in every area of your life!

Further Study:
1 Samuel 2:7-8;
1 John 2:27

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you..

by Leave a Comment

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you..

ALIVE BY THE SPIRIT

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you (Romans 8:11).

1 Peter 1:23 says, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” God gave birth to us by the Word, through the Spirit. You’re not an ordinary person. The human life you received from your parents has been replaced, supplanted, by the divine life of Christ. Often, I tell people that Christianity is more than a legal document; it’s a vital experience; there’s a true life from Christ beating in your heart.

The natural man (the person who’s not born again) lives by blood, but a Christian lives by the Spirit. No wonder Jesus, referring to the new creation, said, “…if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them….” (Mark 16:18). The blood that’s flowing through your veins isn’t what’s keeping you alive. “What then is the importance of the blood?” you may ask. Well, the blood testifies of your humanity. Leviticus 17:11 says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood….” Hence, the redemption of man was by the shedding of blood. However, in the New Testament, the life of your flesh is no longer your blood but the Spirit.

There’s no sickness or disease strong enough to ravage your body. Sickness and disease attack the blood, and destroy the body. But your life isn’t dependent on blood: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). Have this consciousness. It doesn’t matter the symptoms that may try to fasten themselves on your body, you’re alive and healthy by the Holy Spirit.

Further Study:

John 1:13;
2 Corinthians 5:17;
1 Corinthians 15:22

CHARGED UP IN THE HOLY GHOST

by Leave a Comment

BELIEVE IN PROSPERITY

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES ;

19TH JULY , 2018 ; PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME;

CHARGED UP IN THE HOLY GHOST ;

He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself… (1 Corinthians 14:4).

One of the synonyms for the Greek word translated “edify” is to “charge,” like a battery. Jude 1:20 (AMPC) says, “But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit.” He’s telling you to get charged up in the Holy Ghost; embolden yourself in the Holy Ghost through speaking in tongues.

This is what you do when there’re matters arising: you charge yourself up in the Holy Ghost! Are there projects you want to undertake and you’re somewhat not sure what steps to take? Get charged up in the Holy Ghost! Activate the wisdom and power of God by praying in the Holy Ghost until you’re filled with the Spirit.

Ephesians 5:18 says, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” This is the secret to a day-to-day life of the miraculous and supernatural: being filled with the Spirit. If someone was timid, and began the exercise of speaking in tongues consistently, soon enough, he’d become bold and sound.

When you speak in other tongues, and your spirit is charged, it takes over your mind; your spirit will rise like a giant from within and dominate the outward man. Paul said to Timothy, “…stir up the gift of God that is in you…” (2 Timothy 1:6). One of the ways to do this is through speaking in tongues.

The reason some Christians faint in the day of adversity is because their inner man is weak, and the reason for that weakness is that they don’t speak in tongues sufficiently. Speaking in tongues imparts courage to your spirit. It produces in you a sense of absolute dominion over adversities.

Refuse to live an ordinary life. There’s power in you; stir it up always. In your privacy, speak in tongues. When you’re on the go, speak in tongues. Keep yourself supercharged all the time. This isn’t for a particular Christian denomination; it’s for every child of God. Get yourself charged up in the Holy Ghost always.

CONFESSION

I’m emboldened, strengthened and fortified by the Spirit to do all that the Lord has called me to do. I’m filled with miracle-working ability by the greater One who lives in me, energizing me from within! Glory to God!

FURTHER STUDY:

1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Acts 26:2-18 & Psalms 17-18 Galatians 5:20-26 & Isaiah 39

Acts 1:8; Ephesians 6:18; Acts 2:2-4

HIS GLORY IN YOUR SPIRIT

by Leave a Comment

GOD CREATES NEW DESTINIES

HIS GLORY IN YOUR SPIRIT;

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified (Romans 8:30).

The glory of God is much more than being enveloped by a cloud, even though this was their experience in the Old Testament. Ezekiel 10:4 says, “Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’S glory.” When Solomon had finished building the temple, “… the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God” (2 Chronicles 5:14).

That was awesome, but there’s a higher level of glory! When we talk about the glory of God, what many think of, and get inspired about, is some physical cloud above their heads, or in a building. Understand God’s real purpose: what God really wants is the “glory in you.” Don’t choose to remain with “the good” and leave out “the best.” “Glory in the building” was a shadow of things to come. The best isn’t the glory in the room, even though some will have more faith if they saw something physical. That’s remaining at the lower levels, or babyhood stage. In Christianity, what we have is the oneness of our spirit with the Spirit of God. You don’t have to look for the glory outside you; it’s in your spirit.

Read the Apostle Paul’s beautiful submission about this in Colossians 1:26-27 “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Did you know that the Kingdom of God is in your heart? The perfect glory of God can never be contained in a room, or found on the outside. The perfect glory of God isn’t something that your optical eyes can behold. The perfect glory of God is in your spirit.

Further Study:
John 17:22;
Colossians 1:26-27

THE SPIRIT IN YOU

by Leave a Comment

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES ;

7TH JULY , 2018 ; PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME;

THE SPIRIT IN YOU;

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? (1 Corinthians 6:19).

In the Old Testament, the children of Israel transported the presence of God from place to place every time they carried the Tabernacle of Witness, which contained the Ark of the Covenant. In 1 Kings 8:9, the Bible tells us specifically that “There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.” The only thing in the ark was God’s commandments.

Today, your heart is the ark of God; that’s where the Word is. Remember what the Lord said in Jeremiah 31:33: “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” This was fulfilled in us when we were born again.

We were born again by the Word of God, and have become one with the Word; we’re living epistles, “written, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God—not in tables of stone—but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3). Blessed be God!

You’re now the living ark of testimony and the tabernacle of His presence: “…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” (2 Corinthians 6:16). He dwells in you now. His hands are in your hands, and His legs are in your legs. He walks in you and talks through you. Where you go, God goes. You’re in Him and He’s in you!

Not only are you now in the presence of God, you carry the presence of God. Every time you show up, you come with the presence of God: Christ in you, the hope of glory!

PRAYER

Dear Father, I thank you for your presence, glory, beauty, aura and perfections in my life. The Holy Spirit, who is your glory, lives in, and operates from the quarters of my heart. Therefore, sickness, disease, and darkness have no place in me, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

Romans 8:10; John 14:16-17; 2 Corinthians 3:3

1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Acts 19:8-41 & Job 15-18

2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Galatians 1:18-2:1-2 & Isaiah 28

LIVE FROM “INSIDE OUT!”

by 1 Comment

LIVE FROM “INSIDE OUT!”

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23).

In Matthew 12:33-35, the Lord Jesus used the allegory of a tree to teach that it’s the character of a man’s spirit that really matters; it’s what you’ve got in your spirit that counts. He said, “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”

The character of your spirit is the character of your life. This is the reason any change you want to see on the outside must be initiated from your spirit; you must work from inside out. At the beginning of the year like this, many make “new year resolutions,” promising themselves to start doing certain good things, or put away certain unwholesome habits. Some have a goal to improve themselves spiritually; they want to get more organized, give more attention to the diligent study of the Word and prayer. Some others want to make improvements in their career, education or lifestyle.

However, many get frustrated along the way, because only three months into the year, they’re back to what they used to be; unable to make any meaningful or lasting change. The reason is simple: they were trying to work from the “outside-in,” instead of working from the “inside-out.” The things that happen in your life come from your spirit and not from around you. Man is a spirit, hence it’s important you learn to live from your spirit and bring forth good things out of the good treasures of your heart.

Real success is from the human spirit. Until and unless your spirit is conditioned to go in the direction of the Word, and the Spirit of God, true success will elude you. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels…”; your spirit is a reservoir of good things. Therefore, give attention to the cultivation of your spirit by learning and meditating on God’s Word.

When you allow God’s Word to dwell in you richly, you’d bring forth success, divine health, prosperity, progress, victory, and promotion from within you.

Further Study:
Proverbs 4:20-22;
Matthew 12:35

NEVER ALONE

by Leave a Comment

Christian Daily Devotional

NEVER ALONE

…for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)… (Hebrews 13:5 AMP).

As a child of God, you’re never alone; you’ve never been, and will never walk alone as long as you have the Holy Spirit in you. He lives in, and with you—not for a time, but for all time. Part of His ministry in your life is to stay in fellowship with you, strengthening your faith and stirring up courage in you to do the will of God, and fulfil your calling.

Encourage the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life through your conscious appreciation of His indwelling and abiding presence. Perhaps you’re out on evangelism, witnessing to others about Christ; know that you’re not alone. As you minister and share the Word, He’s there, confirming the Word in the hearts of those to whom you’re ministering; He’s ministering together with you.

Any time you feel you’re alone or feel as though you’re not making impact the way you ought to, remember and recognize that the Holy Spirit is in, and with you. Acknowledge His presence and work in you, as Jesus did. Jesus said, “…the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (John 14:10). He recognized the Holy Spirit as the Father that dwelt in Him, working in, and through Him.

Recognize that your Father (the Holy Spirit) lives in you; He’s much more than an influence, a prophecy or an inspiration; He’s your Father, your guide and your keeper. Trust Him with your life and you’ll always be a success. He’s the true Helper: the One you can rely on, and trust, to bring you out of any difficult situation.

If you’re experiencing some challenges right now, perhaps with your finances, health, academics, marriage, business, or career, don’t fret; you’re not alone. Don’t go seeking help from men; set your attention and affection on the Holy Spirit; He never fails. Read again, His reassuring and comforting words in the scriptures as elucidated in Hebrews 13:5.

Further Study:
John 14:26;
Matthew 28:19-20

IT’S OF THE SPIRIT NOT THE MIND

by Leave a Comment

Christian Daily Devotional

IT’S OF THE SPIRIT NOT THE MIND

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” This is because Christianity is beyond the senses! The lack of understanding of this truth accounts for the frustrations many experience in their faith-walk. God contacts your spirit, not your mind. Faith emanates from your spirit and not your mind; it’s the response of the human spirit to the Word of God. It has nothing to do with the senses.

Our senses weren’t designed to perceive God; we walk with Him from our spirit; we serve Him with our spirit, and understand spiritual realities through the Spirit. Our minds weren’t fashioned for that; only our spirit can relate with God. And then, based on that relationship, we condition our minds from our spirit to go in the same direction, and control our senses to serve our purpose.

That means, the character that we express outwardly will always be dependent on the condition of our spirit—who we are inside. That’s why we need the Spirit of God to guide us from within. He alone can get deep into the human nature to effect the changes that God wants in us— changes in terms of growth and development—from one level of glory to another. He alone can guide our minds to think toward God, think like God, and to think from God.

Further Study:

Romans 12:2;
Ephesians 4:23-24

THE HOLY SPIRIT: THE VERY ESSENCE OF CHRIST

by Leave a Comment

GOD CREATES NEW DESTINIES

THE HOLY SPIRIT: THE VERY ESSENCE OF CHRIST

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:16-17).

In our lives as Christians, the most important thing for us is our fellowship with the Holy Spirit. If you saw Jesus right now, I’m sure you’d embrace Him, bow to Him or fall at His feet in worship; I mean you’d express your love for Him in the best way possible.

Well, you might as well do the same for the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is just like Jesus and He’s in you, and with you, every day. We don’t have anything less than what the disciples had when they were with Jesus in Bible days.

Not only do we have the presence of God with us, we have Him in us, in the Holy Spirit. Until and unless that becomes a present-hour consciousness in you, your Christianity would be no more than a religion.

Recognize the Holy Spirit, not only as a real Person, but also as the very essence of the Christ. Without the Holy Spirit, there’d have been no Christ; Jesus wouldn’t be all that He was; everything you love about Jesus wouldn’t be there. The revelation of God; the expression of His nature, love, character and grace that you find in Jesus is all revealed to you through the Holy Spirit. Everything you love or admire in Jesus is in the Holy Spirit.

Today, the Lord Jesus is in heaven, but the Holy Spirit is with us on earth. The beautiful thing about it is we can have Him (the Holy Spirit) with us anywhere, everywhere, all the time. The disciples didn’t have this privilege before the death of Jesus; they couldn’t “take Jesus home” in them. But when the Holy Spirit came, He took the place of the ascended Christ.

Now, we don’t miss Jesus, because the Holy Spirit makes the presence of Jesus real to us. He’s the reason you can believe the Word of God. It’s so important that you recognize the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life. Knowing Him and walking with Him is the key to the successful and supernatural life in Christ.

Further Study:

John 16:13;
1 Corinthians 12:3;
Acts 10:38

YOU’RE EXTRAORDINARY

by Leave a Comment

WHY THE RESURRECTION IS IMPORTANT BY PASTOR CHRIS

YOU’RE EXTRAORDINARY

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:26).

Have you ever imagined the fact that the creator of the universe resides in you, in His totality? The Holy Spirit beautified the heavens. The Bible says, “By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens…” (Job 26:13). This awesome Third Person of the Godhead made everything in the universe; yet, He chose to live in you. Think about it.

1 Corinthians 3:16 states clearly that you’re the temple of God, and that the Holy Spirit lives in you. Have you ever considered why? It’s because you’re important to the Father. God made it so, for the Holy Spirit to live in you, because you’re important to Him and He wants you to be just like Him. He gave you His Spirit — the same Spirit He has — to live in you and make you fulfilled in life and full of joy, such that anything you get involved with will be full of glory; so you can be a success in anything and everything.

As a child of God, you’re the unveiling of the person of the Holy Spirit. He expresses Himself through you. He talks to you, and also talks through you. He leads and guides you; yet, He moves you; He propels you in the way that you should go: the way of righteousness. He’s such a unique and awesome personality. If you’re born again, be glad about the Holy Spirit; He’s the beauty of Christianity. He’s the glory of your life. Acknowledge this about Him always, and live with that consciousness.

Step out with confidence, every day, and reach out to your world with the Gospel of Christ, knowing that the One that’s been called to go along with you is the greatest of all. He’s made you invincible and extraordinary, a super being indeed!

Further Study:
John 14:16-17;
John 15:4-5

LoveWorld Books Mobile App