“I am Gabriel,” the angel answered. “I stand in the presence of God, who sent me to speak to you and tell you this good news.” – Luke 1:19 (GNT) REFERENCE LUKE 1:8-17 It was Zechariah’s turn, as a priest, to burn incense on the Lord’s altar. While serving in the Temple, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, and on seeing him, Zechariah was alarmed and overwhelmed with fear. But the angel said to him, “Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer; your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to...
"And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing – II Kings 7:8a" REFERENCE II KINGS 7:5-10 The lepers in our text today said, “This is a day of good news.” God turned their destiny and their lives around by orchestrating events that reversed years of famine for the whole Jewish nation, culminating in good news. It is noteworthy that God caused their enemy, Syria, to go to war with gold and silver – whoever does that? For...
“Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.” – Genesis 16:7 Reference: GENESIS 16:1-16 Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant, had one of those ‘too-good-to-be-true’ life-changing stories. From being a house slave, Hagar became her boss’ mistress and even got pregnant for him, while the boss’ wife was unable to conceive or bear a child after many years of marriage. Imagine that pregnant Hagar had morning sicknesses; she would tell Sarah that she couldn’t cook or clean because of the pregnancy. Abram probably gave her...
“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118:24 Reference: Psalm 118:22-25 Hooray, it is the first day of April! The world has a custom of playing practical pranks on people on the first day of April and they will shout, “April fool!” So, they call today “April fool’s day.” We should instead get God’s perspective on the day and see it in a different light forever. Isaiah 8:12 (NIV) says, “Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do...
“Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide in times of trouble?” ~ Psalm 10:1 REFERENCE Psalm 10:1-6 & 16-18 Sometimes, we go through experiences in life that make us feel God is deliberately hiding from us. We question if He is still there and if He is, why is He allowing us to go through such painful experiences and not answering our prayers? Jesus, God’s Son, felt the same way when He cried out on the cross, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani” (My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me). For the first time,...
Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Proverbs 4:25 (ESV) REFERENCE Proverbs 4:25 (ESV) Yesterday we ended with the thought that being mission-minded is an integral part of living a purposeful and meaningful life on earth. Below are some practical things that can help you develop mission-mindedness. Firstly, identify your goal and calling in life – What is your goal post in life? Why is that important to you? When you have done that, then develop a Mission Statement that will help you to achieve that goal. A mission statement that tells you what...
And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?” I Samuel 17:29 REFERENCE I Samuel 17:22-29 & 34-37 One undeniable quality of high-fliers in society is a supernatural sense of mission. They live as though they were sent on a mission. They live conscious of that mission and as though time is against them. A good example is the missionaries who left the comfort of the western world to bring the Gospel to the disease-infested jungles of Africa. Many came at their own cost and in peril of their own lives. What was driving them? What...
“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.” Psalm 12:5 REFERENCE Psalm 12:1-5 Living in the city means you do not hear a tree fall in the forest. The fact that you do not hear it does not mean that the tree did not fall. There are several events of life that we never hear, see or know anything about, because of the limitations of our human nature. However, there is a God who knows, and is intimately...
The Lord has made everything for its purpose ~ Proverbs 16:4a (ESV) REFERENCE Proverbs 16:4a (ESV) God had a purpose for you to fulfill on earth before He allowed you to be conceived by your mother. No matter the circumstances surrounding your birth, you are significant in God’s scheme of things. Purpose is the reason for which a thing exists. A chair is not like a table because of its purpose. Your purpose is what you were created for. At some point in your life, the question of why you are here (purpose) will surface, especially as you mature...
““But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.” Matthew 25:26 REFERENCE Matthew 25:24-30 The bible is full of scathing comments about the lazy man and laziness. Often, many blame their poverty on unemployment, the economy, or the government’s ineptitude. As true as these may be, Scripture often puts the blame on a person’s laziness. Solomon said, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep – so shall your poverty come…”...