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

“Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19, Rivers in the Desert The Israelites were not only being held in captivity in Babylon, but all around them was the desert. Even if they escaped, they couldn’t survive the journey home. But God explained the new thing He was doing for them. He was going to make a road to get them through and make rivers in the desert to give them drink. He was saying, “You can’t figure this new thing out because it’s not going to be natural; it’s going to be supernatural.”   God knows how to bring you out of captivity—struggle, lack, addictions, bad breaks. It’s going to be supernatural. You’re going to see abundance where there had been barrenness. Don’t limit this new thing to what you think can happen. “If I can just learn to live with this sickness…” No, God is going to free you from the sickness. “If I can just pay my bills…” Go...

How to Become a Friend of God “ The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. ” (Psalm 25:14) What a majestic promise! God will confide in those who fear or respect him in the proper way. Because of our relationship with him, we are placed in a position where he can, subject to his sovereign will, bless and favor us. There is no better friend a person can have than Almighty God! The secret of this relationship is to abide in Christ. “ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me ” (John 15:4). In John 14:23, Jesus tells us that he and the Father will make their home with us if we love and obey his commandments. “ Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ’” When we cultivate relationships with people, we get to know them and they get to know us. Our re...

Loving and merciful God, there are times when I am angry. I cannot hide my thoughts from you. Teach me to seek your ways and help me to overcome those thoughts that are not in accord with your will. Thank you for your kindness and patience with me and for always restoring me to a right relationship with you. Amen.

Are You Focused on the Son? “ I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. ” (Psalm 16:8, NIV) When you drive a vehicle, you keep your eyes focused on the road. Pilots of aircraft keep their eyes focused on their instrument panels, particularly in inclement weather. Focus is such a critical factor as we navigate through life. If we focus on the wrong values, we will crash. But, like the Psalmist, when we keep our eyes on the Lord, we will not be shaken. For the practitioner of Kingdom of God,  Christ  is the goal of life—pleasing him, doing his will, being transformed into his likeness, and ultimately, being with him in heaven in a glorified state. “ Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure ” (Psalm 16:5). Have you ever held a penny close to your eye and tried to gaze heavenward? The penny blocks out the sun. In the same manner, when we get consumed with the minutia of life, our vision gets blocked. God wants us t...

God of love and mercy, you look upon me with compassion and are ready to forgive me when I come to you with a humble and repentant heart and confess to you my wrongdoings. I thank and praise you for loving me so. Amen.

  Skate Toward the Puck “ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. ” (2 Corinthians 5:10) Wayne Gretzky, the famous hockey player, reportedly advised, “Skate to where the puck will be.” For the successful athlete, it is important to anticipate your opponent’s next move. Timing is critical; a split second can give a major advantage for scoring a goal. Failure to anticipate can mean the difference between victory and defeat. We can apply Gretzky’s advice to our spiritual life. Sooner or later, our “time bubble” will pop and we will face eternity. It is inevitable, regardless of what the world says. “ Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment ” (Hebrews 9:27) It behooves us to anticipate this reality and skate accordingly. Fortunately, believers have a guaranteed salvation in Jesus Christ. Jesus said,  “Very truly I tell you, w...

  “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. Acts 9:5 He Reaches Down Saul was the worst persecutor of the early church. He went around having believers arrested and put in prison. He seemed to be unredeemable, but God loves to take people who look too far gone and bring them into their purpose and destiny. God came down and revealed Himself to Saul on the road to Damascus, calling him in grace to come to faith. Saul became the apostle Paul and went on to write nearly half the books of the New Testament. God is saying to us, “I love you too much to let you miss the purpose that I created for you. I sit enthroned on high, but I’m reaching down to get you into your calling.” He will go to great lengths to bring you into your destiny. You may feel as though you’ve missed it, but we serve a God who reaches down to redeem, to restore, to set you up as His chosen vessel. He’s not going to just bring you out. He’s going to promote you, give you in...

                                                        The Reward Factor “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. ” (Revelation 22:12-13) Jesus Christ is coming back to this world soon! Unfortunately, most people give no thought to the certainty of his return. But for  KingdomNomics thinkers , this passage is the MAJOR motivating factor in life. Jesus Christ is not only coming back, but he is bringing his reward with him. He is going to give to each person according to what he or she has done in this world. “ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ ” (1 Corinthians 3:11) “ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it ...

  Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10 Be the Best You Can Be it’s easy for us to go into the proving mode, trying to outperform someone else, feeling less-than because you’re not like that person. All that’s going to do is wear you out and take your joy. You’re trying to prove something that you don’t have to prove. You’ve entered a race that you’re not competing in. Walk in your anointing. You already have God’s approval; you just need to walk in it. When God made you, He threw away the mold. He stepped back and said, “Look, another masterpiece.” You don’t have to keep up with other people. If you’re getting your value out of how you measure up to your peers, you’re going to live in this proving mode of working harder, trying to impress, and that’s a never-ending cycle. Get off that treadmill. You don’t have to be more popular tha...

Designed by God “ He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works. ” (Psalm 33:15) Incredible! Each of us has been specifically designed by God for his purpose and use. Christians are told this in Scripture: “ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them ” (Ephesians 2:10,) Discovering God’s plan and purpose is the most fulfilling part of life one can imagine. God has redeemed us for his purposes, “ who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works ” (Titus 2:14) God considers all of our works. After all, he designed us, and he is interested in seeing whether his purposes are being served. Our redeemed talents, gifts, and desires call us into the avenues of service he has prepared for us. God has given you a heart to do something for him. You have been designed for it. In all probability, he has...

  From Hebron Caleb drove out the three Anakites—Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai, the sons of Anak. Joshua 15:14 Take Down Giants When the Promised Land was divided up and given to the families of the Israelites, Caleb could have asked for an easy section. But instead he asked for the mountain where three giants still lived, the place where the Israelites had refused to go, which resulted in Caleb wandering with them in the wilderness for forty years. He said, “Give me this mountain that God promised me. This is my destiny.” Where are some giants that you can bring down? Where are some people you can lift up? There’s nothing worse than to come to the end of life and realize you never took your promised land. It is not in the average or in the routine or the comfortable, but it is in the cause. It is doing something out of the ordinary, getting involved in something that isn’t about you, making your neighborhood better, blessing that coworker, bringing down a giant. Make up your mind to ...

  Convictions are Key “ Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. ” (Romans 4:20-21) Abraham is a prime example of one who was fully persuaded that God would perform what he had promised. That is conviction. Conviction was a controlling factor in Abraham’s life, and he ordered his life accordingly, experiencing the blessing of God. Conviction is a key component of faith. When a person lacks conviction, their faith wavers and the promises of God may not be fulfilled. Scripture tells us, “W hen you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord ” (James 1:6–7) We must have the conviction that the Word of God is living and powerful, and that it works in those who receive and trust in it. The promises...

So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. John 12:10–11     With the Blessing  When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, it was a great miracle. You would think everyone would celebrate that this man had life again. But the leaders in the synagogue didn’t like the fact that it brought more attention to Jesus. They made plans to kill both Jesus and Lazarus. God had chosen to bless Lazarus and make him an example of His goodness. But with that great blessing came great persecution. In the end, however, the leaders’ plan never succeeded. They failed to kill Lazarus. That’s because people can’t stop your destiny. The blessing on your life is greater than any force that’s trying to hold you back. If God is going to bless you in a greater way, you have to be able to handle greater persecution. Don’t get upset when people turn on you. Don’t be bitter or revengeful and try to...

  Weave a Pattern of Giving Into Your Life “ 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. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ” (2 Corinthians 9:7-8) Recently, I received an email from someone who desires to be a kingdom investor, but struggles to give cheerfully. The person asked how to get started in this type of giving. I encouraged the individual to read the book,  Kingdom  of God   and followed up with this: God honors the giver who gives with a cheerful heart. My suggestion is to study 2 Corinthians 9:6-15. Each person is to give as they purpose in their own heart, not under compulsion or grudgingly, for God loves a cheerful giver. Love is an action word. Verse 8  indicates that God will swing into action in the life of the cheerful giver. Verse 6...

  “If the God of my father had not been on my side—the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac—you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen your abuse and my hard work.” Genesis 31:42 He’s on Your Side Year after year, Jacob’s father-in-law, Laban, lied to him and cheated him out of his wages ten times. Jacob could have walked away bitter, but he took the high road and kept being his best. In the end, God’s extraordinary blessing on Jacob was so abundant that he had more flocks than Laban. Don’t be discouraged over what it looks like you’re losing, how you’re being shortchanged, not getting what you deserve. God knows what you’re owed. When you come into your payback time, you’ll see sudden increase, unusual growth, extraordinary blessing. Now here’s the key: Don’t look to people to make it up to you; look to God. That person who hurt you or the company that let you go can’t pay you back the way God is going to pay you back. If you get it from people, it’s going ...