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

                                                                                         Receive God’s Blessings “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”  (2 Corinthians 9:8) God’s love is immeasurable! And God is able to make “all grace,” meaning all spiritual and earthly blessings, abound to the cheerful giver (subject, of course, to his sovereign will). This passage promises that God will move in the life of the cheerful giver. Giving is an investment in the kingdom of God for which there are both earthly and heavenly rewards. God allows us to trade in a decreasing, temporary currency for an immeasurable, eternal investment. That investment will last forever. God responds to us as we cheerfully give and provides for all of our needs so we can abound in every good work. He will supply the seed. He will multiply the seed. He will increase the harvest of our righteousness and enr

  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16 Turn On the Power The word “fervent” in the original language is where we get our word for “energy.” It suggests the idea of it being energizing, like how electricity energizes a circuit. You can plug a light into the outlet, but if the power is not on, it’s not going to do any good. Today’s Scripture says the effective, fervent prayer—not a weak prayer, not a lethargic prayer, not the same prayer repeated daily with no passion. But when you pray a passionate prayer, a stirred-up prayer, a bold prayer, that makes tremendous power available. “God, I know I don’t deserve it, but if You want to, You can help me.” You’re not energizing the circuit with that prayer. Depressed prayers don’t bring any power. Turn it around. “Father, thank You that You’re opening doors no man can shut. Thank You that You’re bringing me into overflow and taking me where I can’t go on my own.” That prayer is an effective, fervent, passion

                                                                                                  Give Cheerfully “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  (2 Corinthians 9:7) When giving is done with the right attitude, it can be a gateway for God to move in significant ways in our lives. It is important to remember that it is not the amount we give that matters so much as it is the attitude that characterizes our giving. God loves it when we give out of a cheerful and grateful heart. God’s loving of a cheerful giver results in God taking action in our lives. Scripture states unequivocally that God will make all spiritual and earthly blessing abound to us so we can multiply our efforts for the kingdom. This is why I believe giving provides a major gateway for God to work in our lives, we can expect God to visit us. Jesus will fellowship with the cheerful giver, and the Holy Spirit will i

  “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet.’” Luke 15:22 Put Your Robe On In the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15, the young man took his father’s inheritance, wasted it all on wild living, and ended up destitute on a pig farm. When he returned home in hopes of becoming a servant, his father was so overjoyed that he gave him the best robe, a ring, and new sandals. Immediately, the son didn’t look like the guy from the pig pen. He looked like a celebrated son of honor. This shows us the heart of God. Even when we’ve made mistakes and brought trouble upon ourselves, He doesn’t want us to look like what we’ve been through. He doesn’t want you to live in the constant memory of the failure, the hurt, the injustice. God still says to get the best robe. He still restores back to a place of honor. Your part is to receive the mercy of your heavenly Father. Shake off the guilt, put o

                                                                                              Obey God in Giving “All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the voice of the L ORD  your God.”  (Deuteronomy 28:2) “The L ORD  will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The L ORD  your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.”  (Deuteronomy 28:8) According to these passages, obedience to God results in blessing. It appears that blessing will chase us and even overtake us when we obey him. Since God’s principles are eternal, they never change. Passages like these are “button pushers” God uses as incentives for us. When I read these passages, they make me want to test them, to see if they will be operative in my own life. God wants us to try them in faith, believing that he will fulfill his promises in response to our obedience. Our giving is always an act of obedience. We respond to the Holy Spirit’s direction. There is a wor

  Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the LORD’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them.” 1 Samuel 15:24 No Compromise King Saul lost his throne, and today’s Scripture provides the reason. God had told him to do certain things, but he disobeyed because he was afraid of the people. God was going to take him to amazing places, but Saul didn’t want to disappoint the people. He knew the right thing to do, but he didn’t want to rock the boat. People pressured him and squeezed him into their mold. As a people pleaser, he did not reach his potential. Don’t let somebody squeeze you into their mold. Listen to other people’s advice, but be strong and follow that still, small voice inside. Nobody can hear God’s direction for your life like you. God doesn’t give someone else more insight about your destiny than He does you. Others may have insights, but God speaks to your spirit. You don’t need their approval; the Most High God has approved

                                                                                         Depend on the Power of the Cross   “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”  (1 Corinthians 1:18) Understanding the power of the cross is instrumental in understanding the concepts of  Kingdom of God . It is by the cross that we are crucified to the world and have new life in Jesus Christ. Paul boasted about the cross in his own life with regard to his relationship to the world and the passions of the flesh. He was dead to them by the power of the cross. The same can be said of us when we apply the power of the cross to our own lives. God’s power overcame Jesus’ death on the cross! And it is the power of the cross that gives us new hope and new perspective for living. Through the power of the cross, we are able to overcome the giants of consumerism and greed. They relentlessly pursue us to keep us from giving to

  Pray Dear Lord, you are indeed triumphant and you are my king. May my thoughts and actions this day be pure and pleasing in your sight. To worship you is my heart’s delight. I sing your praises and I open the door of my heart so that you may enter and abide with me always. Amen.

                                                                                                          Beware of Greed “Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’”  (Luke 12:15) The giants of consumerism and greed can eat us alive. These giants can also keep us from investing in projects and endeavors that will produce eternal rewards. The influence that we have while we interact with one another is important, for each person will live eternally in either heaven or hell. This truth takes on much greater implication when we consider that, in the Word of God, we are told all our worldly endeavors will pass away. But the reward of being used by God to influence others to put their trust in him will last into eternity. Jesus counsels us to be wise stewards of our time, talent, and treasure, which he has blessed us with. He also instructs us to use the unrighteous “mammon” of this world, or our wor

                                                                                             Guard Your Heart “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”  (Proverbs 4:23) Truly, our behavior springs from our hearts! That is why it is critical that we daily spend time immersed in God’s Word. God’s Word will protect our hearts from being consumed with the things of this world. This is the only way we can obtain a perspective which properly balances temporal and eternal concerns in life. This perspective will impact what we do and do not do in this world. We must soak our hearts in the Word of God! And that takes time. I like to call it “heart time.” The ways in which we invest in God’s kingdom are truly a reflection of heart time. It determines where we spend our time, talent, and treasure. The more time we spend in God’s Word, the more we realize that the matter of kingdom investing needs to have a high priority in our lives. Heart time influences our desire

  There is no one like you, Lord God. You lift my spirit by reaching down from heaven and blessing me with your love. You are good all the time, and I will praise your name now and forever. Amen.

                                                                                Acts 8:3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Today’s Word At the end of Acts 7, Stephen was stoned to death by members of the Jewish Sanhedrin for his faith in Christ, and Saul was there giving his approval. Saul then began to wreak havoc on the church in Jerusalem, "the city of peace," scattering the apostles and many disciples throughout Judea and Samaria. One of those disciples named Philip went to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah, and he saw all kinds of miracles and great crowds coming to faith. Sometimes God will allow your place of peace, perhaps your home or workplace, where you feel secure and comfortable, to be disrupted. A Saul of some sort shows up-a sickness, a betrayal, a downsizing, intense pressure-and wreaks havoc on your peace. Stay in faith. Saul is a setup for

                                                                                     Submit Your Thought Life to the Spirit “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”  (Romans 8:6) The battle for control of our lives is won or lost in our head. Whoever controls our mind ultimately controls us and our behavior. The Apostle John tells us that the whole world is under the sway of the evil one. Therefore, it is all-important that we make sure the Holy Spirit is in control of our thinking and attitudes. Think for a moment of your mind as a compass needle. It can point in four main directions: CHRIST, being north; WORLD, being west; SELF, being south; and MAN, being east. We always want our needle pointing north! We must make a decision to keep moving in that direction. It will require discipline to focus on the “things above” and to keep our lives hidden in Christ. If we allow our compass to point to the WORLD, SELF, or MAN, we will get lost

  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4 Pause and Remember In the Old Testament, God commanded His people to take time out from their busy schedules to celebrate a variety of national festivals, which were times of remembrance. He wanted His people to pause and remember the marvelous deeds that He had performed for them—how He parted the Red Sea, how He brought water out of the rock, how manna came down from heaven in the wilderness. These festivals were marked by thanksgiving and joyous feasting. Today is a special day for us to do the same—to enter His gates with an offering of thanksgiving and praise from our hearts for the good things He has done in our land, in our lives, and in the lives of our family members. Pause and remember those places and spaces in your life when God brought you victory, brought you success. When you remember that He is providing for all your needs and give thanks to God for wh

                                                                                                       Commit Your Way “Commit your way to the L ORD ; trust in him, and he will act.”  (Psalm 37:5) This is an incredible statement of fact and promise. When you get up in the morning, do you commit your day, your way, and even your life to the Lord? The Bible tells us this is the thing to do! Let’s take hold of this promise and see it work out in our lives. This verse assures us that if we commit our endeavors to God, trusting in him by an act of faith, he will act. A sense of expectation for seeing the hand of God working in our lives will begin to permeate our days, bringing an excitement to all that we pursue  his is an incredible statement of fact and promise. When you get up in the morning, do you commit your day, your way, and even your life to the Lord? The Bible tells us this is the thing to do! When we experience times when God feels distant, it is on our side of the equation. The

  Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1–2 Say So It’s significant that the psalmist didn’t just say, “I’m going to stay in the shelter of the Most High, and that will keep me protected.” He says, “I will say of the Lord.” What you’re saying is going to make a difference whether you see God’s protection and favor like you should. You can’t go around talking defeat, because negative talk is like bait. It attracts the enemy. It opens the door to difficulties. You need to zip that up. You have to start declaring you’re protected and thanking God that there’s a hedge around you. The way you activate God’s protection is with faith-filled words. Say as David did in Psalm 27, “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord protects me from danger. Why should I be afraid? Though an army surrounds me, I will remain confident. For in

                                                                                                         Embrace Your Citizenship “For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.”  (Hebrews 13:14) “For our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Philippians 3:20) If you feel unsettled at times and wonder where you fit into this world, this may be God’s way of telling you not to become too comfortable down here. This unsettledness comes because we know that this world, in its present form, is passing away! We also know that those who do the will of God will live forever. The brevity of this life sends us a message:  Don’t fall in love with this world because we are just passing through. I love the fact that our citizenship is in heaven! Our hearts should be set on pilgrimage. We are strangers in an alien world. We do not have an enduring city. The more we see of this dysfunctional world, the