Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Jeremiah, what do you see?' And I said, 'I see a branch of an almond tree.' ~ Jeremiah 1:11 REFERENCE Jeremiah 1:4-12 Seeing is everything – the only time Jesus ministered to someone twice was a case where He wanted the person to receive his sight (ability to see). When your sight is dim, you make wrong choices, your progress is impeded, and you become fearful and uncertain of the future. Sure enough, the devil will like you to grope about blindly, unable to make a headway in...
Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ~ Matthew 6:27 REFERENCE Matthew 6:25-34 The fact that Jesus repeats over and again that believers should not worry in this passage, shows how important He considers the issue. So many of you reading this devotional would have heard this same message severally; however it is worth reiterating because many still labor under the influence of ‘worry’. Worry plagues your mind with questions you don’t have answers to. Asking you… HOW? WHEN? WHERE? WHAT? all in an attempt to put you in an uncomfortable position and...
Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind. ~ Proverbs 21:5 (MSG) REFERENCE Proverbs 21:5-6 Foresight is the ability to think ahead or to look ahead and make the necessary plans to survive the future. Any believer who wants to prosper must cultivate this wisdom. To succeed, you have to PLAN! PLAN!! PLAN!!! Success never happens by accident, it is deliberate and calculated efforts that birth it. Amidst other factors, financial planning is also a prerequisite to your prosperity; and if you don’t plan (budget) on how you spend whatever...
Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’' ~ I Kings 20:13 REFERENCE 1 Kings 20:1-30 The battles we fight in life have spiritual connotations, i.e. between good and evil. There are times the devil puts situations before us that defy our faith and threaten our existence, as seen in today’s passage. king Ahab was faced with an impossible situation because Ben-Hadad (an ungodly king) swore by the...
May He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice. - Psalm 20:3 REFERENCE Psalm 20:1-5 One of the Hebrew names of God is ‘Jehovah G’molah’ – the God of recompense and reward. He doesn’t forget like man does (Isaiah 49:15). He is the administrator of seed time, harvest and due season. He makes sure every seed sown bears an appropriate and befitting harvest. He does not only reward financially; He will also reward your decision to serve Him, just like He rewarded Daniel’s decision not to defile himself, and Moses’ decision to forsake the pleasures of...
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...
Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, BUT he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah. – Judges 11:1 REFERENCE Judges 11:1-11 Jephthah had a dysfunctional family. He was the son of a harlot which wasn’t his own doing, however, that put a ‘BUT’ in his life. His brothers rejected him and forced him out of his inheritance in their father’s house. Perhaps, angry and bitter, he set out to look for love, acceptance and significance. Jephthah left home and joined a gang of worthless men, who led a freebooting lifestyle. There,...
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...