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

  Psalm 67 Introduction Psalm 67: Today’s reading calls on people to praise God. God has blessed his people with mercy and kindness so all nations may know his ways and honor him. Today’s Key Verse: Psalm 67:7 God has blessed us; may all people everywhere honor him. Reading 67  God, be merciful to us and bless us; look on us with kindness, 2  so that the whole world may know your will; so that all nations may know your salvation. 3  May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you! 4  May the nations be glad and sing for joy, because you judge the peoples with justice and guide every nation on earth. 5  May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you! 6  The land has produced its harvest; God, our God, has blessed us. 7  God has blessed us; may all people everywhere honor him. Reflect Twice in today’s reading the psalm writer calls upon all peoples to praise God (verses 3, 5). What prompts the writer to say this?...

  God is My Gold Scripture: Job 22:25 “ Yes, the Almighty will be your gold and your precious silver. ” (Job 22:25) Now we see it! All the  DNA markers of the strategic kingdom investor  come from God himself. Our relationship with Christ is more precious than anything else. As we navigate through life, we want to experience the resurrection power of Christ. He alone is the reward of this life we seek to experience to the fullest. In Philippians 3:10, the apostle Paul writes, “… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death… ” And in 2 Corinthians 1:20, Paul writes, “ For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. ” Our relationship with God is the key to life, both in this world and in the one to come. Abram was exposed to this revelation: “ After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your ...

  Created in His Image “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” —Romans 1:20 God’s presence is manifest through the beauty of His creation. When it comes to acknowledging and worshipping God, the Scriptures tell us that everyone is without excuse because God’s invisible attributes such as His power, eternality, and glory are clearly seen in what He has made. Imagine you are in a lush forest filled with gorgeous pine trees. You’re surrounded by rivers and streams on every side, and there is a beautiful blue sky above with the sun shining down.  The setting was so beautiful, it almost took my breath away. Now think about this: The same God who created that beautiful scene in Colorado also created you in His own image. In other words, the beauty we can clearly see in God’s creation is in you and me, because the One who c...

  The Lord’s ROI (Return On Investment) Scripture: Matthew 25:25–27 “‘ …So I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. ’” (Matthew 25:25–27) In Kingdom of God , one of our main motivations, at the instruction of Jesus Christ, is to build up treasure for ourselves in heaven, so our lives will echo into eternity. Some people don’t care about building up treasure for themselves in heaven; they think they can coast their way to heaven after making a decision for Christ. The above passage makes it clear there is another side of the coin that relates to the Lord’s ROI, or the Lord’s  Return On Investment . He sacrificed his son, Jesus Christ, so you and I can have eter...

                                                                       True Riches “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.”” —Hebrews 13:5 Today’s verse presents a godly perspective of what being rich really means. It’s telling us that a rich person is not someone who has everything he wants but rather someone who has learned how to be content with what he has. The apostle Paul learned a secret about life— be at peace in every situation. He said, “I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need” (Phil. 4:12...

  God’s Cell Phone #33:3 Scripture: Jeremiah 33:3, John 14:8 “ Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. ” (Jeremiah 33:3) “ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ” (John 14:18) These are fantastic promises that God makes to us. As we call on him, he promises to answer us and to show us great and hidden things, particularly the secrets of the kingdom including his great plan of salvation for mankind. All of these things are a process of the Spirit of God’s revelation to us. Jesus himself says that he will come to us and not leave us as orphans. We are fortunate to know this truth. It gives us great comfort as we deal with the ever-changing environment of this world that is in the process of passing away. The Word of God becomes increasingly precious to us as we absorb its living and working power, transforming us more into the likeness of Christ in our outlook regarding this perishing world. As a Kingdom of G...

  Seek Wisdom and Understanding “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.” —James 3:13 Wisdom and understanding release our ability to forgive. Forgiveness is extremely important for walking in the Spirit. Jesus said, “If you forgive others for their trans- gressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Matt. 6:14–15). When Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer, He said we should ask the Father to “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matt. 6:12). This is how important forgive- ness is to God. But how do we acquire the ability to for- give? Once again, through wisdom and understanding. When Jesus was on the cross about to give up His life, He said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). In other words, Jesus had compassion on them because He had the underst...

  Our Race Against Time Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:24–25 “ Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. ” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25) Whether we realize it or not we are all in a race—a race against time. From an eternal perspective, it is a very short time. “ He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return. ” (Psalm 78:39) That is a very short time! The problem is we have to figure out what life is all about in that period of time, and make provision for the life in eternity. Whether we like it or not, we are all going to face eternity. In Kingdom of God, we constantly remind ourselves that everything we can see and touch is in the process of perishing. The above passage is a reminder that we are in this race against time, and it is ...

  He Holds Your Hand “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.” —Psalm 37:23–24 Think about this: when you fall, you will get up again because the Lord holds your hand. I love this verse. Notice also that it says the Father delights in us. And when we stumble, we’re not going to fall headlong because HaShem, the God of glory, is upholding us through Yeshua. Doesn’t that give you confidence and comfort? For me, there is truly no assurance in life other than the Lord. How could we possibly face death, aging, disease, or an unstable economy if our hope was solely in ourselves? Our only confidence and comfort is El Shaddai (God Almighty Himself). I am sure that many of you feel like I do: that outside of God’s love, the world feels like a scary place. How could anybody not be afraid when there is so much that we are not in control of? But when we know God as...

  Giving While We Are Living Scripture: Luke 19:5–6 “ And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.’ So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. ” (Luke 19:5-6) We learn a lot from the encounter that Zacchaeus had with Jesus Christ. Here was a “money guy” who was hated by his own people because he was a tax collector for the hated Roman government. He was a self-starter, and he really did not care what the crowd thought, otherwise he would not have been a tax collector. He wanted to see Jesus Christ, and he knew he had to get ahead of the crowd. No one ever achieved anything of value just by following the crowd. He was short and needed the aid of a tree perch to see Christ. When he heard the voice of Christ piercing the noise of the crowd, he responded. Note the urgency of this encounter. Jesus told him to “hurry and come down.” Zacchaeus hurried and came down at the command of the Lo...

                                                            Be a Witness for Him “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses.” —Acts 1:8 At Pentecost (Acts 2:1–31), God’s people received His Spirit as an indwelling possession, and it marked the fulfillment of the Old Testament Shavuot. (See Leviticus 23:15–21.) Through the Holy Spirit, we now have intimate relationship with the Father. There is no greater event in the history of the church, aside from the death and resurrection of Jesus, than the giving of the Spirit of God. When the Father gave us His Spirit, He gave us Himself. In His Spirit is love, power, joy, and victory! Through His Spirit we can go through, and get through, whatever tribulation we may be experiencing right now and whatever trials we will face in the future. But w...

  Peace: A Rare Commodity Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 3:16 “ Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. ” (2 Thessalonians 3:16) Peace is a rare commodity in our tumultuous world. Most people would give almost anything in order to experience peace. So many times people look in the wrong places for peace. The Scripture addresses peace in many places. The above passage gives us a good start. We learn that Jesus Christ is the source of peace for the believer. In fact, we are instructed, “ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. ” (Colossians 3:15–16) Experiencing God’s peace is a CHOICE. We are to let the peace of God rule in our hearts. This is accomplished by being thankful ...

  Psalm 100 Introduction Psalm 100: This psalm is a hymn of praise that acknowledges God as our Creator and us as God’s people. It calls us to worship and reminds us why we thank and praise God. Today’s Key Verse: Psalm 100:5 The LORD is good; his love is eternal and his faithfulness lasts forever. Reading 100  Sing to the Lord, all the world! 2  Worship the Lord with joy; come before him with happy songs! 3  Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him; we are his people, we are his flock. 4  Enter the Temple gates with thanksgiving; go into its courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise him. 5  The Lord is good; his love is eternal and his faithfulness lasts forever. Reflect This psalm affirms that we belong to God and compares God’s people to a flock of sheep. What are your thoughts about this image? Verse 5 concludes the psalm with the reason for praising God. How will you thank and praise ...

  Delight Yourself In God’s Word Scripture: Jeremiah 15:16 and Psalm 37:4 “ When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty. ” (Jeremiah 15:16) “ Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. ” (Psalm 37:4) The Word of God is at the heart of KingdomNomics. Kingdom of God makes no sense unless it is understood within the context of God’s Word. Both Jeremiah and the Psalmist show us how to position ourselves in relationship to God so God can make himself known to us and actively participate in our lives. Yes, feeding on the Word is critical for this to happen. Jeremiah gives us the “mechanics” for experiencing God in our life. When he found God’s Words, he “ate” them. In other words, he internalized the Word of God by  memorizing and meditating  on it to the point God’s Word became his heart’s delight. We call these passages  spiritual M&Ms , passages of Scripture to...

  Psalm 99 Psalm 99: This psalm concludes the section of psalms we have been reading the past several days that praise God as king and righteous judge. It affirms God as the supreme and holy king. Today’s Key Verse: Psalm 99:5 Praise the LORD our God; worship before his throne! Holy is he! Reading 99  The Lord is king, and the people tremble. He sits on his throne above the winged creatures, and the earth shakes. 2  The Lord is mighty in Zion; he is supreme over all the nations. 3  Everyone will praise his great and majestic name. Holy is he! 4  Mighty king, you love what is right; you have established justice in Israel; you have brought righteousness and fairness. 5  Praise the Lord our God; worship before his throne! Holy is he! 6  Moses and Aaron were his priests, and Samuel was one who prayed to him; they called to the Lord, and he answered them. 7  He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they obeyed ...

  3 Ways to Find Peace in Christ Scripture: Colossians 3:15 “ And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. ” (Colossians 3:15) Jesus Christ is the source of our peace. He is the fountain of life. As believers, our relationship with him allows us to have access to this peace through  Soak, Sow, and Flow , a process that is a basic principle in Kingdom of God. Paul shows us how this can be done: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him”  (Colossians 3:16–17). These verses encompass all of the steps in the SOAK, SOW, and FLOW principle. First,   the Word of God needs to be filling our lives.  His Word gi...

  Stand Still “But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.”” —Exodus 14:13 In the original, historical context of this verse, the people of Israel had come out of Egypt, and they were at the edge of the Red Sea, but they were trapped. They couldn’t swim across the sea, and Egypt was chasing them from behind. They began to panic. At that moment, Moses boldly declared, “Do not fear but stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” Sometimes God wants us to just trust Him and wait patiently for Him in confidence. There are going to be times when you don’t have to do anything except to keep believing, keep trusting, keep resting, keep being expectant, and you’re going to supernaturally see God move in your life and circumstances. There are many, many times in our lives when we have to act, but there are other times when ...

  The Son Empowers Us to Cast Darkness Aside Scripture: Judges 5:31 “‘ So may all your enemies perish, Lord! But may all who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.’ Then the land had peace forty years. ” (Judges 5:31) Soak your Heart When we experience Christ—the Morning Star—rising in our heart, it feels like the sun when it rises in its full strength. The sun scatters the darkness. When the  Son  rises in our heart, he brings light to our innermost being and empowers us to cast the works of darkness aside. He brings an increasing desire to invest in the imperishable rather than just the perishable. He brings to light a new worldview with a focus on the life to come in the real world of eternity. Sow to the Spirit Pray:   I pray, Father, that the Morning Star will rise in my heart, overcoming any desires that are contrary to your will and best plan for my life. The more I am crucified to my flesh and the lures of this world, the better advertisement...

Everyone Matters “And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”” —1 Corinthians 12:21 Years ago God gave me a dream in which I mistreated someone who had a physical challenge. When I wasn’t sensitive to this person, the Holy Spirit withdrew His presence from my life. That dream has stuck with me for all these years because the Lord used it to show me how important it is that we be sensitive to everyone, especially those the world has cast down. You see, in the natural world, the high and mighty give their attention to others who have status, money, fame, or authority. But often they don’t pay attention to people they consider to be lower than they are—those who haven’t advanced as far in their careers, reached a certain financial status, or achieved a particular level of education. This is often how the world works, but in the kingdom of God, we need to be sensitive to everybody. That is not only because God loves u...