Oluwafemi .The Word of God is a light to my Path.

  Run with Purpose (1 Corinthians 9:26) Run with Purpose With the new year comes fresh starts, resolutions, and new beginnings. It’s a good time to reevaluate what you’re doing. Refocus your life. Get rid of any distractions. Paul said every step he took was purposeful. When we understand the value of time and see each day of the coming year as the gift that it is, it helps us to keep the right perspective. God has entrusted you with His life. He’s put gifts and talents on the inside. You’re not just on planet earth taking up space. You’re a person of destiny. With that gift of life comes a responsibility to develop your talents, to pursue your dreams, and to become who God’s created you to be. Have you set short-term and long-term goals for your life? Do you have a plan? What specific steps will you take to improve your use of time and start taking steps toward your goals and becoming who God’s created you to be? A Prayer for Today “Father, thank You for the new year ahead and new...

  Focus on God’s Power “God stirs up the sea with His power, and by His understanding He breaks up the storm.”  (Job 26:12) When we take time to reflect on God’s power, we’re amazed. And this in turn expands our vision of what God can do in us and through us. Images of God’s power are presented throughout the entire Bible. His power gives us confidence that he can overcome anything that is causing difficulty in our lives. His presence can dissolve any obstacle. Since he is the creator of all things, he knows all about our world and has the creative ability to deal with anything that is in need of repair. God sent Jesus Christ into this world to bring us salvation and hope. I have often heard it said, Jesus is “God with skin on.” Jesus Christ is God incarnate; God embodied in human flesh. Because of Jesus Christ we have seen God at work in our world: loving people, healing disease, doing miracles, raising people from the dead. It is this power that we can rely on. I am a huge f...

  “You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet.” (2 Samuel 22:40) Armed with Strength for Battle God knows every battle, every temptation, and every obstacle you will ever face. He has not only put it under your feet, but He has armed you with strength for that battle. You are a warrior, a victor and not a victim. He has already equipped you. You are full of can-do power. Quit telling yourself, “This is too much. I can’t handle it.” The greatest force in the universe is breathing in your direction. Tap into more of that power. Start declaring, “I can handle this. I am well able. I can do all things through Christ. I am strong in the Lord.” Put your shoulders back, look those obstacles in the eye, and say, “You’re no match for me. I know your end has already been set, and it’s just a matter of time before God turns it around. It’s just a matter of time before He brings that dream to pass.” A Prayer for Today “Father, thank You for arming...

  Call on God! “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”  (Jeremiah 33:3) This is a statement made by the Creator of the universe himself! When I first read this verse, my initial thought was,  How can this overwhelming promise become personally operative in my life?  The statement seems so simple, but the reality of it is almost beyond belief … almighty God will answer me! All I need to do is call out to him. Second Chronicles 16:9 explains, “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him”. I want my heart to be fully committed to God because then I can be strengthened and empowered by him. We need to remember how great the counsel of God is and how mighty his work is. By his mighty power he created the heavens and earth. Throughout the Old and New Testaments we read of his intervention in the lives of his people. As we expand our knowledge and e...

  Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. (Colossians 3:13) Drop it, Leave it, and Let it Go There was a man in the Scripture named Ahithophel who was a close advisor to King David for over twenty-five years. But when David’s son, Absalom, made an attempt to take over the throne, Ahithophel deserted David and started advising Absalom. Many scholars believe that Ahithophel was the grandfather of Bathsheba with whom David had an affair and whose husband David had given instructions to be killed in battle. That would explain why he betrayed David so easily—for all those years the poison of unforgiveness was simmering on the inside. Sadly, Ahithophel’s life ended tragically. What David did was horribly wrong. Ahithophel had a reason to be angry. But when you hold on to unforgiveness, it actually holds you. That poison will lead you down the wrong path. Don’t hold on to negative baggage. Forg...

  Son Power and Spiritual Opposition “Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.”  (Galatians 1:4) Let’s face it, the difficulties we see and experience on a daily basis are beyond our ability to fix. Satan is doing everything he can to convince us that we really don’t need God or his power working in us, for us, or through us. The world around us continues to become increasingly hostile to anything remotely related to God and his purposes. But the fact remains, a life without God is a life without meaning or purpose. How do we deal with the opposition we inevitably are encountering? The Bible is clear that we are facing a very real enemy. Paul wrote these words to the Ephesians: “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesia...

  “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4) Show Them You Care Today’s Scripture says that one day, there will be no more tragedies, sickness, or pain. But in the meantime, God is counting on us to wipe away those tears. Are you taking time to help somebody in need? It’s important to go to church and celebrate, but our real assignment begins when we leave the building. Look around and find the discouraged. You may not hear them with your ears, but you can hear them with your heart. You see when somebody is down. Suddenly, you feel compassion flowing out to them. You think, I need to go encourage them. Don’t put it off. That’s God wanting you to bring healing. Your hugs can cause people to get better. A phone call, giving someone a ride, taking them out to dinner, or encouraging them in their dreams can put them back on ...

  Your Daily Commitment to Perseverance “In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness.”  (2 Peter 1:5–6) I know God has work to do in my heart, and so, I daily ask him to shed the light of his presence into the inner recesses of my heart to show me whatever needs to be changed. Then his Word can prosper and accomplish in my heart whatever is needed to be done to strengthen it for his purposes as the Spirit works within me. As his Word grows in my heart, I am set free. I begin to see the finger of God at work in me and in my circumstances. I learn to trust him, and by the power of the Holy Spirit I am able to put to death all of the sinful desires and works of the flesh that want control over my life. However, this can be a painful process, ...

  Lord Jesus, you are indeed the Lamb of God who takes away my sin. You willingly sacrificed your life for my sake and rose again to free me from bondage to sin and death and grant me eternal life. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for loving me so. Amen.

  Your Daily Commitment to Setting Your Eyes on the Heavenly Prize “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”  (Philippians 3:13–14). It’s difficult to stay focused. Many things vie for our attention: family, friends, work, hobbies, sports. Many of these things are good, but they can actually get in the way of God’s plans and purposes for us.  As you consider your days, do they just “happen” or are you intentional in how you are going to use your time? Are you focusing on earthly goals or heavenly goals? And how do you balance it all? As we focus on God’s purposes, read his Word and apply it to our lives, and take time to discuss all of it with God, the Holy Spirit will empower us to keep our eyes on the heavenly prize. But it takes time. Time every day with God. And in the process, it is imperative that w...

  Your Daily Commitment to Exalting Christ This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise.”  (Isaiah 43:21) The apostle Paul was committed to exalting Jesus Christ in all things. In Colossians 1:15–20 we read: We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels— everything  got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him wi...

  Lord God, you keep your promises, and your promised Messiah has come to bring us your salvation. He is the Light who reveals your will for us. Teach me to be obedient to your will, and help me to keep on growing in wisdom and knowledge of you. Glory to you, O Lord! Amen.

  Thank God for his Son—his Gift too wonderful for words. (2 Corinthians 9:15) Too Wonderful for Words When the apostle Paul was writing to the Corinthians about the joy and blessing of giving, he got so overwhelmed at the thought of all that God has given us in His Son, Jesus, that instead of trying to put it all in words, he just ended with, “Thank God for his Son—a Gift too wonderful for words!” Jesus is God’s perfect, indescribable gift, the most wonderful gift that has ever been given—“God loved us so much that He gave His Son, Jesus, so that we can have eternal life.” Jesus, the babe in the manger. Jesus, the Savior of the world, who brought the promise of unconditional love, unending hope, and eternal life to every person who believes in Him. And the amazing thing is that not only are we able to receive this gift into our hearts, we are able to share Him with others every day of the year! This is what Christmas is all about. A Prayer for Today “Father, thank You for the inde...

  Your Daily Commitment to Prayer “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:6–7) Talking to God about all of our life and believing he will answer our prayers is critical for the life of every Christian. As we talk with God about our life situations, the Holy Spirit empowers us with wisdom, guidance, and the strength to deal with each one. The Bible is clear that God will answer our prayers as we take time to soak in his Word. Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7–8). And later in the New Testament we read, “This is the confidence we have in ...

  When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. (Matthew 1:24, NLT) Be a Joseph In the Scripture, when Joseph discovered that his fiancé, Mary, was pregnant and the baby was not his, being an honorable man and so as not to embarrass her, he was going to quietly call off the wedding. But an angel appeared to him and said, “Take Mary as your wife. What she told you is the truth. She is giving birth to the Messiah.” Joseph could have walked away and thought, That’s all fine, but I didn’t sign up to have my reputation tarnished and raise a child who’s not my own, but he did the right thing when it was hard. He was loyal. When you’re a Joseph, you show mercy to those who don’t deserve it, you give second chances, you make allowances for mistakes. To be loyal doesn’t mean you condone or approve their actions. You’re simply showing them the mercy you would want shown to you. You’re being a healer, a restorer. You lift people up. A Prayer fo...