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

  At that time a great persecution arose against the church…Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. Acts 8:1, 5 Pushed Out This persecution forced Philip out of Jerusalem. He was pushed out of his comfort zone. What’s interesting is that previously God had poured out His Spirit upon the believers in Jerusalem. The same God who showed them that powerful sign could have stopped the persecution, but it was for a purpose—a plan to push them into their destiny. It was in Samaria that Philip saw the greatest days of his ministry. If he had stayed in Jerusalem, he would never have reached his full potential. God knows how to get you out of your comfort zone. He opened the door; He can close the door. That closed door is God pushing you. Maybe you’ve been pushed out of Jerusalem, so to speak, through a bad break, a disappointment, a betrayal. Don’t be discouraged. If it weren’t going to work for your good, God wouldn’t have allowed it. Jerusalem may have close

  The Blessings of Obeying God “Do whatever he tells you.”  (John 2:5) Obedience to God results in blessing. Many times we experience a blessing far beyond any reasonable expectation. This happened when Jesus turned the water into wine at a wedding feast. The people ran out of wine and Jesus’s mother told the servants that whatever Jesus told them to do, they should do. When they obeyed the instructions of Jesus to pour the water into the large jars, Jesus turned the water in the best-tasting wine of the wedding feast. This was totally unexpected since the best wine was usually consumed at the beginning of the celebration. Professions of faith mean little without confirming acts of obedience that are in response to our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our obedience proves that we love him. As we practice listening to him and obeying him, he will reveal more of himself to us. Not only that, but he will also work on behalf of those who have a heart that is loyal to him. By feasting on God

  “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Mark 2:10–11 God Sees and Hears In the Scripture, four men carried a paralyzed man to see Jesus. When Jesus saw them, He said to the man, “Your sins have been forgiven.” Some of the religious leaders were offended and began to murmur, “Who does He think He is? Only God can forgive sins.” Challenged by His critics, Jesus said to them, “Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’?” To prove to them that He was the Son of God, He turned to the paralyzed man and told him to rise up. The man stood up, perfectly well, and I’m sure the religious leaders nearly passed out. Jesus could have just forgiven the man’s sins and moved on, but when His enemies murmured about it, Jesus healed him. When people are talking about you, trying to push you down and keep you in a dark place, don’t w

  “Stay Focused, Daddy!  Scripture: John 4:34, NKJV “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work.’”  (John 4:34) My daughter requested that I go get pizza for dinner for the children. As I was leaving the house, I stopped to have a conversation with someone else. That is when I heard the words, “Stay focused, Daddy! Go get the pizza!” What an illustration this is for the person practicing  Kingdom  of God. We need to stay focused on the important things in life. Jesus was on a mission. His will was to do the will of him who sent him, and to finish the work he was sent to do. We should have the same desire and goal. That is, we want to finish the work God has gifted us to do before we leave this world. We are on a mission: a mission to help fulfill the Great Commission. Questions to ask yourself: Have I captured the vision of the mission God has gifted me to do? Am I focused in some way in helping to fulfill the Great Commission?

  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:4 Shame Is Broken Perhaps you know God has forgiven you from past mistakes and failures, but you still have a sense of unworthiness as though you don’t deserve it. That shame has held you back long enough. Today the strongholds have been broken. Burdens have been lifted. God is saying, “Shame off you!” Now you have to get in agreement with Him. Quit listening to the accusing voices. Quit believing the lies that you have to settle for second best. God’s mercy was there for you before you made the mistake. It’s time for you to shake off the shame, to shake off the guilt. This is a new day. Don’t let negative events—a failure, an addiction, a divorce, a bankruptcy—become your identity. That’s what you did; that’s not who you are. That’s what happened to you; that is not your identity. Remind yourself, “I am who God says I am. I am approved, I am a

  Your World is Passing Away Before Your Very Eyes “For the form of this world is passing away.”  (1 Corinthians 7:31) Time is passing quickly. This has become a stark reality for me. The company I used to work for is now gone, having been purchased by another company. My formal work career has passed away. The house we lived in for years has been sold and is now gone. When I look in the mirror in the morning, the evidence is increasing that even my body is passing away. When you think about it, we are only “renting” or leasing our bodies for a period of time. We are going to have to turn them in at some point. The question facing those of us who realize the importance of the brevity of life is,  how should I be spending the time I have left in this world? Jesus tells us not to labor for the food that perishes, but for that which leads to eternal life. This makes me think about how I leverage what is perishing into the imperishable? How do I leverage the mortal into immortality? How do

  Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the LORD is with you!” Judges 6:11–12 Separated for the Better Gideon was hidden from his enemies, threshing wheat on the floor of the winepress, when God said he was to deliver the people of Israel from the Midianites. But Gideon was insecure and didn’t feel qualified to do anything great. The threshing floor was where the wheat was separated from the chaff, and symbolically it became the place where God separated Gideon from what was limiting him. When God called him a “mighty hero,” it separated him from his low expectations and little dreams and empowered him to great valor. We all go through the threshing floor of difficulties because God is preparing us. He’s separating what’s holding you back, and you’re about to see new growth, new opportunities, new friendships. You’re coming out refined, polished, stronger,

  Have You Captured the Vision? “Then the Lord… said, ‘Write the vision, and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.’”  (Habakkuk 2:2) Can you think of a more worthwhile cause to join than one ordained by God? The last command of Jesus Christ was for his disciples to go into all the world and make disciples. He gives us the privilege to join in the greatest movement in the history of the world: to help save mankind from the coming destruction and judgment of God. Each generation has the responsibility to reach the peoples of their time with the gospel of Jesus Christ. For me this means to capture the vision, to run with the mission, to help fulfill the Great Commission! Only the Word of God and the souls of people are going to last forever. Everything else will be destroyed. What does this say to us as to how we should invest our time, talent, and treasure while we are in this world? Today, ask yourself: Have I captured the vision God has for me? Why not join his cause

  God of promise, I praise you for your eternal love. May all my actions reflect your love and grace and be a sign of worship to you. Amen.

  Fish Hard! Life is Short! Jesus Christ came to “…purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”  (Titus 2:14) The above sign hit me between the eyes when I first saw it at a dock where many boats left daily to go fishing. It brings to mind many possible spiritual applications Jesus taught that are so relevant for today. In Titus 2:14, Paul states clearly we have been redeemed as a special people to be zealous for doing good works. This passage helps define the purpose for why we have been left in this world. Jesus came to finish the work that God, the Father, had given him to do. In fact, Scripture says that zeal for his Father’s house would consume him. Jesus also knew his time was limited. There was a sense of urgency about his life and his limited time in this world. This urgent pattern for living should characterize us. I want to “FISH HARD” during the time God has given me to live. With each passing day, we become aware that  life is truly short . Life becom

  Join the Few of the Few: Become a Kingdom Investor “Because narrow is the gate…which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  (Matthew 7:14) You and I have a decision to make. Do we want to become a  strategic Kingdom Investor , developing a life that will echo into eternity in a positive way? If so, we will have to abandon the way of the crowd, and the multiple voices of the world that compete for our attention every day. Jesus said that few in the world would choose the narrow way of salvation, but would prefer the broad way to destruction. When it comes to making strategic investments of  time, talent, and treasure  for the advancement of God’s kingdom, only a few of the few grasp and run with the eternal mission assigned to the believers left in this world. The Bible calls this  discipleship . It is a discipline to join the few of the few who are on a mission, investing themselves to help others find and develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Can you imagine an

God of hope and restoration, we trust in your eternal justice. Guide us each day as we seek to establish your reign here on earth. In your holy name we pray. Amen.

  Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly. Matthew 27:13–14 Not One Word It’s interesting that the people who were most against Jesus were the religious people. He didn’t try to convince them to change their mind. He didn’t spend hours arguing over doctrine. He ignored the critics and just ran His race, even when His life was on the line before Pilate. You have to accept the fact that not everyone is going to accept you, like you, or understand you. If you’re going to reach your highest potential, you have to be okay with that. Jesus had more critics than anyone, but He didn’t waste His time trying to convince people who He was. How much time are you spending thinking about what that person said about you at the office or on social media, trying to straighten out that friend who made you look bad? You don’t have time to waste on all that pettiness. It’s not between you a

  Hey! There’s No Armor for my Back! “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”  (Ephesians 6:11) At the Gettysburg battleground there is a small plaque that says, “Write home, and tell them I died facing the enemy.” The Christian life is all about advancing, pressing forward, running a race, forgetting those things that are behind – all for the purpose of accomplishing God’s will on this earth. We invade the darkness with the light of the Gospel, going into all the world with all of the means God has given us. Retreat is not an option. We are in a battle, taking new ground. After taking it, we stand firm. It is interesting to note the armor of God that we put on. Apparently, no provision is mentioned for our back. As Christians, we are to advance, not retreat. We are to invade our culture, keeping the culture from invading the church. Others have said that the best defense is a good offense. The more active we can be in pursuing the goa

  You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 Live Connected God promises that joy is found in His presence. When you don’t have joy, you’re in some way being disconnected from God’s presence. If you go through the day stressed out, worried, offended, and on edge, you’re separating yourself from the blessing, the favor, and the strength you need. In the tough times, you need to be full of joy, because the joy of the Lord is what gives you strength to make it through. We all are dealing with difficult situations. But no matter what’s going on around you, God wants you to experience His supernatural joy at all times. Joy manifests when you focus your heart on the heavenly Father and praise Him for who He is and what He’s done in your life. The Scripture says that He inhabits the praises of His people. Anytime you feel depleted or overwhelmed, just begin to praise and thank God, draw near to Him and He’l

  Are You The Owner? “ My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways. ” (Proverbs 23:26) Q:  “What is the process of withdrawing money from the bank of mammon and depositing it in the bank of heaven?” We recently received this question from a reader of the  Kingdom  of God   book. Withdrawing funds from the bank of mammon and depositing them in the bank of heaven is basically an attitude. Our attitude toward ourselves and everything we have changes as we cultivate our relationship with Jesus Christ. Who owns us? Who owns what we have in our possession? Kingdom of God thinkers come to the realization that we are  stewards  of the  time, talent, and resources  God has entrusted to us. God is the  owner . He bought us with the precious shed blood of his Son. The first  Kingdom of God Applied devotional  cites Proverbs –  My son, give me your heart . If God has our heart, he has everything related to us including the money entrusted to us. Every good and perfect gift come