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

  …not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25) Better Together When we come together as a body of believers united in faith, there’s something that happens that you cannot get on your own. We draw strength from one another. As your praise gets mixed with others’ praise, power is released, healing is released, joy is released. Every time we come together, you’re being refreshed, restored, and reenergized. It’s like your batteries are being recharged. What the week took out of you, God is putting back in you. It’s good to worship on your own. It’s important to pray by yourself. But something happens corporately that doesn’t happen individually. That’s why David says, “Let us magnify the Lord together.” When we come together to magnify God, it’s like the intensity is turned up. Your faith mixed with everybody else’s faith creates something powerful. Give Go...

  Secular Failure, Spiritual Victory Memorize and Meditate “ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ” (Philippians 3:8–9) Soak your Heart We need to soak our hearts in this passage often. It contains some hard lessons, from both a secular and fleshly standpoint. The standards of the world system and the kingdom of God are diametrically opposed. Paul makes it clear that knowing Christ far surpasses any earthly, perishable goal the world has to offer. Paul lost everything to know Christ; he considered anything that would rob him of experiencing Christ as rubbish. He wanted his entire life sourced in Christ and hidden in Christ. He wanted his righte...

  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:7) Lo Be Committed We’re all tempted to give up on what we’re believing for, to walk away from someone who disappoints us, to slack off at work and not be our best because we’re not being treated right. But if you’re going to reach your highest potential, you have to stay committed. You have a made-up mind that you’re in it for the long haul. It may be difficult, you may have a good reason to walk away, but don’t take the easy way out. Stay committed to your marriage, stay committed to raising that child, stay committed to your friends in the good times and in the tough times. Stay committed to your dreams. Don’t give up on the promises God put in your heart when it’s taking longer than you thought. Stay committed to your job, and stay committed to your church. Be loyal, be somebody others can count on every day. The people who see their dreams come to pass are the people who stay ...

  Push the RESET Button on Your Prayer Life Memorize and Meditate “ It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. ” (Lamentations 3:26) It is so difficult to follow this seemingly simple instruction, isn’t it? We get caught in circumstances beyond our control and experience pain, frustration, anger, suffering, and mental and emotional strain. These conditions can gain control of us. Soak your Heart Scripture counsels us not to be controlled by these “fleshly” factors: “ Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. ” (Psalm 37:5–8) Waiting for the salvation of the Lord is particularly painful when the impatient side of our sinful nature wants a so...

  Holy God, I stand in awe of you. I acknowledge you as my God and praise your holy name. Help me to honor you today in all I do and say. Amen.

  The Mountain of Self: Our Persistent Enemy Memorize and Meditate Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. ’ (Mark 11:22–24) Other than Satan, the  Mountain of Self  is our greatest enemy. Only the Lord can deal effectively with the big “I” that needs to be broken, so Christ can live in and through us. Soak your Heart Only the work of the Spirit through God’s Word will bring the transformation we need. Only the Spirit can cast the  Mountain of Self  into the sea. Sow to the Spirit Pray:  Father, the  Mountain of Self  is too big for me to deal with alone. Only you have the power to conquer it. Only you can empower me to deny myself so you can...

  A TRUST Acronym Memorize and Meditate “ It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. ” (Isaiah 55:11) T = THANK  God that he will accomplish his purposes in us. R = RECEIVE  the revelation that leads to renewal. U = UNDERSTAND.  Understanding leads to conviction and results in our taking action. S = SPIRIT.  Through the power of the cross and the Holy Spirit, we are crucified to the flesh and to the lures of the world. T = TRANSFORM  by degrees as we forget the past, reach forward, and press toward the call of God in Christ Jesus. Never let go of the trust handle for everyday living. Those who practice trusting in the Lord will be blessed!

  Holy God, you are gracious and kind. May you look with favor upon my words and actions today and surround me with your peace. Amen.

  “So if the Son makes you free, then you are unquestionably free.” (John 8:36) You Are Not a Slave Because of negative things in the past or even mistakes we’ve made, too often we develop a slave mentality. We think we’re at a disadvantage, so we don’t pursue our dreams or pray bold prayers. We live as though we’re a slave to an addiction, to depression, to mediocrity, to others’ approval. But today’s Scripture says the Son of God has set us free. You are not a slave; you are a child of the Most High God. Sons and daughters think differently than slaves. You may struggle with an addiction, but you say, “I have a right to be free.” There may be obstacles in your path, but you know the forces for you are greater than the forces against you. God has defeated the enemy and freed us from sin, guilt, depression, and sicknesses. You need to rise up and say, “I’m a son. I’m not a slave to my past, to people who hurt me, to addiction, to poverty, or to lack. I’m a child of the Most High Go...

  Purging Trust in Self Memorize and Meditate “ In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. ” (2 Corinthians 1:9–10) Soak your Heart At times, circumstances can seem overwhelming. Sometimes this happens so God can teach us not to rely on ourselves.  He wants us to realize that our sufficiency is from God. He wants to purge us of the leaven of trusting in self. Sow to the Spirit Christ provided us with eternal salvation, and we must learn to trust in him to live the Christian life. We can be confident that he will deliver us. Flow with the Spirit Only the power of the Spirit can purge us of the leaven of self-trust. Paul said that he and his friends carried the sentence of death in themselves so they would learn to trust in Christ. Death is a painful ...

  Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12) The Cows Are Coming In 1 Samuel 4, the Philistines had defeated the Israelites in a battle, captured the ark of the covenant, which symbolized God’s presence, and the prophet Eli was dead. It was a disaster, and it looked as though the ark was gone forever. But plagues began to break out among the Philistines, and they realized it was because of the ark. So, they put it on a cart and let two cows pull it back to Israel. The Israelites never dreamed they’d see the ark again, but the Lord restored it to them without them having to fight for it. Some of the things that you worry over and can’t see how they could ever happen, God will bring those things to you. You’re not going to have to go after them or fight for them. What belongs to you—the contract, the promotion, the healing—is headed your way. God knows how to get what’s yours into yo...

  Prepare for Action by Focusing on the Light of God’s Word Memorize and Meditate “ Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. ” (2 Peter 1:19) “ So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. ” (1 Peter 1:13) Soak your Heart Scripture repeatedly reminds us to set our minds on the things above and prepare for action. We do this through the transforming work of the Word of God. We are to pay attention to God’s Word the same way we would fix our eyes on a light in a dark place. Sow to the Spirit Pray:  Father, I place my confidence in your Word. I place my trust and hope in your Word.  I am paying attention to it like I ...

  The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1) It’s in His Hands Are you worrying about your children, stressed out over your job, or discouraged because of a disappointment, thinking it’s not going to work out? We need to live with the attitude of the psalmist David. He had all kinds of things come against him—people, armies, even his own family—and yet he would say to you about your situation, “God’s got this. He’s directing your steps. He’s bringing the right people across your path and your children’s paths. He has beauty for the ashes, and right now He’s working behind the scenes. Dare to believe, dare to trust. Be still and know that He is God. He has you in the palms of His hands.” Don’t worry or fear when you face obstacles that are bigger than you. It’s an opportunity for God to show you He’s God. It’s one thing to believe God has power to do the impossible. But God wants you to do mo...

  God’s Power Factor Memorize and Meditate “ Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. ” (1 John 4:4) Soak your Heart God has made such power available to us through the gospel. That power is the preaching of the cross: Christ—the power of God—is in us. God wants us to experience Christ’s resurrection power. God wants us to comprehend the incredible greatness of his power toward us who believe—the same power he worked when he raised Christ from the dead. This power operates in our lives as we learn how to tap into it. Sow to the Spirit This “power” passage helps us expand our vision of God. As we understand that all power is sourced in God, we realize that nothing is too difficult for him to handle. Practice Beginning right now, claim this “power” verse as you walk with your Lord by faith.

  “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” (Exodus 14:4) Setbacks Are Setups In the book of Exodus, God told Moses to tell Pharaoh, “Let My people go.” But God knew that Pharaoh would refuse, so He caused him to harden his heart so He could bring great glory at the expense of Pharaoh. God was setting up the odds to be against the Israelites so He could show His favor. In a similar way, you may not like it that some people and circumstances have come against you; it isn’t fair, but it is ordained by God—not to stop or defeat you, but so God can show out in your life. Now quit complaining and asking, “Why am I facing these odds?” If you stay in faith, it’s just a matter of time before God turns around those obstacles and uses them to push you forward. When it feels like the odds are against you, don’t fall apart. It’s a setup. God is about to do some...