Christian Daily Devotional

The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts..Haggai 2:9

BE BOLD ABOUT YOUR IDENTITY

by Leave a Comment

Rhapsody of Realities Daily Devotional

Be Bold About Your Identity

“For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).

The first step of identity is openly declaring that you’re a Christian. But some people already have trouble in letting everyone know they are identified with Christ. They don’t want anyone to know who they are. Such people are those who wouldn’t be bold enough to announce to their friends and family members that they have received Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Some have refused to tell their colleagues or friends for fear of being rejected. You can’t live a successful Christian life that way!

If you’re ashamed to let your friends, family or colleagues know that you’re born again, Jesus said that He also would be ashamed to acknowledge you before God the Father and the angels. I’m sure you don’t want that. Therefore, announce to them and say “Look here everybody, I’m born again”; that’s the first step to victory. If you desire to enjoy the benefits of salvation to the fullest and you want to be committed to Christ, you have to be bold about your identity in Him.

Your first declaration of who you are produces a new identity. Also, when you declare who you are before men, the power of God is released through you into your world creating the right atmosphere around you that will enhance your spiritual growth. Remember, whatever you announce with your mouth is what people will actually call you. For me, it’s a thing of honour and joy to be identified with Jesus. Irrespective of what anyone thinks, Christians have the most sublime identity. I always walk tall wherever I am, eager to let those around me know that I’m a believer in Jesus Christ.

Further Study:
Luke 12:8-9

you’ve become a partaker of God’s divine nature..

by Leave a Comment

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

Something Greater Than Religion!

“… And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).

Ask people about the major religions of the world, and the first one many would probably mention would be Christianity. But there’s nothing in the Bible that suggest Christianity is a religion. Though many Christians have even helped propagate the notion that Christianity is “the world’s greatest and most respected religion,” the truth is Christianity isn’t a religion.

Religion is man’s work towards God, but Christianity is God’s work in man. It’s a call to oneness with Divinity (Colossians 1:26-27 MSG). God didn’t want us looking up or reaching out to heaven for Him; He wasn’t even satisfied to merely be with or live amongst us as “Emmanuel”—God with us (Matthew 1:23). Rather, He chose to take up His abode in the quarters of our hearts! That’s Christianity! It’s the life of God lived out through you. It’s the unveiling of the Living Word in a human life! Until this becomes a personal revelation to you, all you have will be mere religion.

Thus, the reason we go to church, pray, preach the gospel and do the things we do as Christians isn’t because we’ve received a religion, but because we’ve received God’s nature—His life. That’s what Jesus brought to us. He made it possible for us to receive into our spirits the same quality of life that only God has: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Thus, if you’re born again, you’ve become a partaker of God’s divine nature, having been imparted with His life! This is what it means to be a Christian—having the nature of God in your spirit and His pulsating life in every fiber of your being!

Further Study:
1 John 5:11-13

AS HE IS, SO ARE YOU!

by Leave a Comment

AS HE IS, SO ARE YOU!

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17).

When you tell someone, “Oh, you’re just like Raymond,” you’ve awakened a level of curiosity in that fellow, and he’ll want to know who Raymond is. The Bible referring to Jesus, says, as He is, so are we in this world. It’s therefore worth finding out from the Word who Jesus is; how did He live when He walked the earth?

The Bible tells us that He walked on water, talked to deaf ears, and they were unstopped. He spoke to blind eyes and they opened. He talked to lame legs, and they were vitalized and restored. Even maimed limbs grew back at His word. He spoke to the dead, and they came back to life! When He hushed the raging tempest, the disciples exclaimed of Him, “… What manner of man is this! For he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him” (Luke 8:25). He was so awe-inspiring! It’s even more breath-taking to realize that He did all these as a man, having laid His glory aside (Philippians 2:7). All these miracles and glorious manifestations of the supernatural in His life happened before He went to the cross. It was after His resurrection that He became the glorified Christ (1 Peter 1:21). This is marvellous!

Now, notice that our opening verse didn’t say, “… as he was, so are we,” rather, it says, “as he is so are we!” The image of the glorified Christ you see in the Word—the mirror of God—is actually your reflection as a new creation in Christ. When you look in a mirror, you’d see your reflection, because the mirror reflects whatever image is before it. The Word is that mirror that God gave you so you could look into it, and see your real self. So, when you read, “…as he is, so are we in this world,” you ought to say, “Wow, as He is now, with all His glory and splendour, so am I today!” Blessed be God! Meditate on this truth thoroughly, and consciously think, talk, walk, and act like Jesus. Then like Him, you can say to blind eyes, “open up,” and they’ll open! You can say to the lame, “get up and walk,” and it’ll happen. You can touch others, and they’ll be blessed; because as He is, so are you!

Further Study:
Hebrew 1:3

A NEW CREATURE WITH A NEW LIFE

by Leave a Comment

WHY THE RESURRECTION IS IMPORTANT BY PASTOR CHRIS

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES ;

30TH JULY , 2018 ; PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME;

A NEW CREATURE WITH A NEW LIFE;

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).

When you were born again, you were born and baptized into Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13 says, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body…”; you were baptized into the body of Christ, a new man, a new creature with a new life. The King James Version uses the word “creature,” which is a lot more accurate than the word “creation” as used in some other translations. Being a “new creature” means you’re one of a kind; a special or peculiar being.

But that’s not all; the latter part of our opening scripture says, “…old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” The underlined word, “behold” means a lot, even though not so many pay attention to its importance in that verse. It’s a word that calls your attention to a truth: God wants you to SEE that all things have become new. When you’re born again, you have a new life; you’re a new being; the old life and nature are supplanted by God’s divine nature.

It wasn’t just a mere change that took place in you when you were born again; it was an actual recreation of your human spirit; there was an actual replacement of the life of which you were born of your parents, with the indestructible life of God. You’ve come alive to God through the New Birth.

You’re not someone who has merely become religious; you’re a new person, with a new life, without a past. Understand when the Bible says, “…old things are passed away…”; it’s talking about the old nature that was subject to sin, defeat, sickness, failure and death—it’s dead and gone. All things have become new, and all these new things are of God (2 Corinthians 5:18).

Everything about your life now carries divinity in it. There’s no connection between you and your “past,” because in actual fact, there’s no past: “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” (Romans 6:4).

CONFESSION

I’m a new creature, a brand new species of being. I’m not ordinary. I’m the first and the best of God’s creatures. I prosper in all I do. My life is an expression of the beauty, glory, and grace of Almighty God. His righteousness is revealed in, and through me. Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY:

Ephesians 2:14-15; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10

1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Romans 5:1-11 & Psalms 49-51

2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Ephesians 4:17-24 & Isaiah 50

A NEW YOU

by Leave a Comment

GOD CREATES NEW DESTINIES

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES ;

27TH JUNE,2018 ; PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME;

A NEW YOU;

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. For he that is dead is freed from sin (Romans 6:6-7).

The Bible says, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6). When Jesus died, we died with Him. When He was buried, we were buried with Him. When God raised Him from the dead, we were raised together with Him. We were in Him in His death, burial, and resurrection.

Romans 4:24-25 says, “But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” We weren’t justified because He died; we were justified because He was raised from the dead. He was raised from the dead, a new man; He was born again.

Jesus heads up the new creation. He came up with a new life and so, the Bible says, “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). This new creation has no past; there’s no sin in him. His resurrection gave you a brand new life. You’re not the man that sinned; that’s the “old man,” and he’s dead. Hallelujah!

A new YOU was born at the resurrection: “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” (Romans 6:4). Blessed be God!

PRAYER

Blessed Lord, thank you for the life I’ve received through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Christ rose from the dead, I came alive with Him; therefore, I walk in this newness of life. I reign and rule in life today as a king, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

Romans 6:4-5;1 Corinthians 6:9-11

1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Acts 13:1-12 & Nehemiah 7-8

2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

2 Corinthians 9:11-15 & Isaiah 15-16

John 5:26 : FOR AS THE FATHER HAS LIFE IN HIMSELF, SO HE HAS GRANTED THE SON TO HAVE LIFE IN HIMSELF.

by Leave a Comment

FOR AS THE FATHER HAS LIFE IN HIMSELF, SO HE HAS GRANTED THE SON TO HAVE LIFE IN HIMSELF.

TO THE BIBLE: Romans 8:11

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

LET’S TALK

In the Old Testament, God said to the people, “…the life of the flesh is in the blood….” (Leviticus 17:11). That’s true for every natural human being, but for you who are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, it’s different! What keeps you going is much more than the blood in your body.

In the scripture above, the words “give life” also mean “to vitalise” and “to rejuvenate.” Thus, it’s the Holy Spirit who rejuvenates and vitalises you, not the blood flowing in your veins. This Holy Spirit was the One who incubated on the body of Jesus after He was crucified and buried, and raised Him from the dead. That same Spirit lives in you today, giving life to your physical body. This means no sickness, disease, or infirmity should stay in your body.

The Bible says, “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself” (John 5:26). You have in you the resurrection-life of Jesus, which is the God-kind of life. If you ever find anything wrong in your body, you don’t need to be worried or scared. Just stir up the power of that life-giving Spirit within you through your words of faith, and command the problem to go.

Go Deeper: Romans 8:10, Colossians 3:1-4

Speak

I’m not ordinary; I’ve got the life of God in me. No sickness or disease can fasten itself to my body, because I’m inundated with the life of Christ. Greater is He that’s in me, than he who’s in the world. I’m divinely strengthened and rejuvenated, in Jesus’ Name!

Act

Meditate on today’s scripture (Romans 8:11) and let the Holy Spirit minister to you as you do.

NEWNESS OF LIFE IN CHRIST .

by Leave a Comment

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL BY PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL

NEWNESS OF LIFE IN CHRIST .

Tuesday, January 16th , 2018

Pastor Chris

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 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 (Romans 6:3-4).

Our theme scripture is quite outstanding. It begins by letting us know that we’ve been baptized into “Jesus Christ,” and not just “Christ.” The latter means being put in the body of Christ, but the former makes it so strong so that you can better understand when the Bible says, _*“For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones”*_ (Ephesians 5:30). It doesn’t get any better than that.

You were baptized into Jesus Christ, meaning that you’re lost in Him, immersed in Him. You’ve become inseparably one with Him that you can’t be distinguished from Him: “But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:17).

Now, the second part that’s even more thrilling is the fact that we weren’t just baptised unto Him in His death, but were also raised up together with Him to a newness of life. The Bible says, “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”*_ (Romans 6:4). The Apostle Paul talks about the death of Christ, but there was also the resurrection, which is the victory and the glory.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ made Christianity possible. Christianity didn’t begin with His death, for His death didn’t give us life; however, His resurrection ushered us into a newness of life. His death paid for our sins, but didn’t give us a new life. That’s why salvation isn’t the result of the confession or affirmation of His death, but of His resurrection: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).

There’s a newness of life in Christ; there’s a new consciousness, with the understanding that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, you also should walk in newness of life. That means, reckon yourself to have come out of spiritual death. You have a new life now; the old nature is dead; your past doesn’t exist; you’re a new creation in Christ Jesus; a superior creation! Hallelujah!

PRAYER

I know who I am; I’m not of this world. I’m a new creation; I’ve come out of death, and I’m perfected in Christ Jesus. Christ is alive in me—spirit, soul, and body—in Jesus’ Name. Amen.*

FURTHER STUDY: Romans 8:1-2 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

John 11:24-26 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING

1-Year Bible Reading Plan: Matthew 12:1-21,

Genesis 38-39

2-Year Bible Reading Plan: Acts 9:32-43,

Job 3-4

THE NEW BIRTH: A MUST FOR EVERY MAN.

by 2 Comments

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL BY PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES SUNDAY, 15TH OCTOBER.

THE NEW BIRTH: A MUST FOR EVERY MAN.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again (John 3:7).

Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” All men sinned in Adam and came legally under Satan’s dominion. How did this happen? Romans 6:16 says, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Adam obeyed Satan and became his servant; he submitted his authority to Satan. That’s the authority Satan uses today to oppress and keep man in bondage.

To be free from Satan’s dominion, man has to be born again, and become a new creature. This new creation is made possible by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible calls Him the first begotten of the dead (Revelation 1:5). He’s the first to rise from spiritual death, and all those who are born again have also come out of spiritual death.

This is why we preach the Gospel, so that men may know they don’t have to be in bondage to Satan anymore. They don’t have to be cut off or alienated from the life of God. Consider the description of those who aren’t born again in Ephesians 2:12: they’re “…aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.”

The Power Of Your Mind

How could anyone live without God? How could anyone live in such utter darkness and blindness? Nothing could be more deplorable and hopelessly terrible! It’s the reason Jesus said, “Marvel not that I said Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). When you’re born again, you’re at once transferred from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. You’re immediately separated from death unto life, and you’ll never perish (John 3:16).

Failure, sickness, defeat, poverty and everything that’s of darkness aren’t a part of your life now that you’re born again: “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).

CONFESSION
I believe that God raised up Jesus from the dead, and boldly affirm the Lordship of Jesus over my life. Therefore, I’m a partaker of the divine nature, and I live the life of glory, righteousness, success, health, prosperity and victory in Christ. Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY:
John 3:3-7 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
1-Year Bible Reading Plan:
1 Thessalonians 5:1-28, Isaiah 61-63
2-Year Bible Reading Plan:
John 6:1-14, 1 Kings 22

THE LIFE AND NATURE OF GOD .

by 1 Comment

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL

THE LIFE AND NATURE OF GOD .

Friday, September 22nd,2017

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).*
Eternal life is the life and nature of God. It’s the transcendent life, which we have in Christ Jesus. He gave His life for us, so we could live and walk in His righteousness, glory, and grace.

But until a man is born again, he can’t have eternal life, no matter how much he tries. There’re people who are struggling to please God; they’re struggling to live right, but don’t know how to go about it. You can’t live right until you have first received the life and nature of God into your spirit.

True Christianity is fellowship with the divine; having your human life supplanted by the life and nature of God. Until you have His life in you, you can’t live it. The Lord Jesus, addressing Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, said, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again”(John 3:5-7). To be born again is to have the Christ-life imparted to your spirit, such that you come alive to God; you’re awakened to the fatherhood of God, and He takes up His abode in the quarters of your heart.

Learn more : The Gift of Fellowship

This isn’t something you struggle to attain; it happens the instant you’re born again: the life and nature of God is imparted to your spirit to enable you live right and produce fruits of righteousness. Your life becomes the manifestation of God’s goodness, glory, grace, and love when you have and are conscious of His life and nature in you.

Learn more : We bear fruits of Righteousness.

PRAYER
*Precious Father, I thank you for your great love for me, which you demonstrated in sending Jesus Christ to die for me. I affirm that Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life, and His life and nature have been imparted to my spirit. I’m awakened to the fatherhood of God, and I express the righteousness of God in my world, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY: *||* 1 John 5:11-13 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. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. ||

*|| 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. ||

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
1-Year Bible Reading Plan: Galatians 6:1-18,
Isaiah 9-10
2-Year Bible Reading Plan: Luke 24:13-27,
2 Samuel 17-18

KINDLY DOWNLOAD FAITH PROCLAMATIONS VOLUME 1 BY PASTOR CHRIS

KINDLY DOWNLOAD THE HEALING SCHOOL MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2017 EDITION

TO DOWNLOAD THE VOLUME 2 OF FAITH PROCLAMATIONS BY PASTOR CHRIS REGISTER HERE.

YOUR RECREATED SPIRIT KNOWS NO SADNESS

by Leave a Comment

TO THE BIBLE: Isaiah 12:3 NIV

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”

LET’S TALK

From the moment you were born again, you were brought into a life of unending joy. The Bible says in Romans 14: 17, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Joy is an emotion evoked by satisfaction, appreciation and pleasure. God was joyful when He created the earth; He appreciated what He made and took pleasure in it (Genesis 1:31).

The joy you have is not of this world, but of God; therefore, it’s independent of external circumstances. 1 Peter 1:8 describes it as “…joy unspeakable and full of glory.” Everywhere Jesus went during His earthly walk, He brought joy to people, and He still does today. The joy that comes from your inner man (your spirit) transcends physical circumstances; it’s permanent, and it’ll keep you strong and healthy. The Bible says, “A merry heart doeth good like medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones” (Proverbs 17:22 KJV).

Learn to be joyful and maintain a happy spirit always. Joy is a fruit of the recreated human spirit (Galatians 5:22), so you can be joyful at all times. Produce joy from your spirit by making melodies and singing new songs from your heart to the Lord. The Lord delights to hear your joyful praise. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “…for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” God needs you to be joyful so you can transfer that same joy to your environment, for you can’t make others joyful until you’re full of joy yourself.

Go Deeper: 1 Thessalonians 5:16, Philippians 4:4

Pray

Dear Father, I thank you for filling my heart with joy unspeakable, and full of glory. I live joyfully today, knowing that you’re my God, and you delight in me, rejoicing over me daily with singing. Your joy is my strength! Thus, I live victoriously every day as I continually maintain a joyful spirit, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Act

Speak in tongues fervidly for a few minutes. Then sing songs of praise and let the joy of the Lord fill your heart to overflowing.

LoveWorld Books Mobile App