For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement) -Acts 4:36b (NLT) REFERENCE Acts 4: 32-37; 9:26-28 & 11:22-26 How does it feel to get an award or to be rewarded for something you have done well? How does it feel to be recognized for every effort you put into doing the right thing? How will you feel if every day, everybody around you said good things to you? Today, we live in a world where everybody tends to be harsh; finances are hard, everybody seems so stressed up and they...
For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again! – I Kings 17:14 (NLT) REFERENCE I Kings 17: 8-16. Faith is the ability to take risks, based on God’s Word, being fully convinced that the outcome is positive, even when the facts don’t say so. It is taking a bet on God’s ability to make the impossible possible, the invisible visible, etc. Despite the fact that all that this widow had...
Which having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. – Proverbs 6:7-8 REFERENCE Proverbs 6:6-11 Ants are endowed with relentlessness, – the ability to keep going despite the odds. Ants do not have overseers and captains but they are self-starters, self-disciplined, self-motivated and they get done what needs to be done. One of the most damaging traits that subverts and impedes the progress of people is dependency on others; it is a major problem when you can’t do what needs to be done without supervision. We live...
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. ~ Psalm 23:1 REFERENCE Psalm 23:1-6 David, being a shepherd himself, understood what it meant to take care of sheep. He used the shepherd/sheep illustration to tell of God’s goodness to us in this Psalm. Important truths to note about this psalm: 1. God is concerned about your well being and wants to be Jehovah JIREH (Provider) to you. He does not want you to suffer any lack; He seeks your satisfaction. 2. God is a Good Shepherd who does not want you running around in life without achieving...
But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 'Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.' - Acts 5:19-20 REFERENCE Acts 5:12-21 Sometimes, when we pray, expecting God to bring us out of a bad situation or a tight place, our motives for those prayers don’t particularly honor God, and we know God will not answer selfish prayers that do not bring glory to Him (James 4:3). The reason God brings us out of every imprisonment or a bad situation...
But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. - Isaiah 40:31 REFERENCE Isaiah 40:28-31 Most times, when we pray and see immediate results, we testify and glorify God. But when we have to wait for results, we become frazzled. Waiting can be perplexing and can get you to a place of discouragement. However, waiting is part of life, so we have to learn the art of it. The word ‘wait’ in our text is...
Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry. Nehemiah 4:7 REFERENCE Nehemiah 4:1-9 Nehemiah came to Jerusalem to help rebuild her waste places and to restore her former glory, at a time when the children of Israel had only returned from their captivity in Babylon. But the enemy (devil), using two human agents, fought tooth and nail to try and stop the work, because he is an enemy of progress who...
So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. - John 11:17 REFERENCE John 11:11-26, 43-44 Death is defined as the cessation of life; it connotes an end to something, finality, and most times, a hopeless situation. However, for a believer, death does not always mean you have come to the end of a matter, because we have Jesus, our Resurrection and Life. He restores, and makes alive that which was dead, as can be seen in Lazarus’ case. Two key phrases in this verse are JESUS CAME and FOUR DAYS....
He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread, But he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding. - Proverbs 12:11 REFERENCE Proverbs 12:11,27 Continued… The 6th thing you need to do in refining your gift, is to learn to add seasoning i.e. flavor to what you do. Develop your own style and put proper finishing touches to whatever you do in order to create a better appeal. The next thing, is to dedicate a lot of time thinking about better ways to use your gifts; plan your business in your mind. Strategize! Finally, pray about your...
He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread, But he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding. - Proverbs 12:11 REFERENCE Proverbs 12:11,27 Yesterday, we concluded with the thought that, for everything that is raw, there is a potential for it to become something useful after it has gone through the process of refining; this is how life operates. Those who refined their God given potentials stand out from the crowd; those who cannot be bothered, are seldom known because just having a gift doesn’t guarantee success. If you choose to refine your gifts therefore, you...