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

  Victim or Victor? Scripture: Genesis 4:7 “ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”  Satan is in the business of stealing, killing, and destroying lives. Sin is crouching at our door, looking for the opportunity to gain control. God’s instruction to Cain still applies to us today. We must master sin. We can only do so as we are empowered by the Spirit of God. In Kingdom of God, we discuss three types of givers: the default giver, the philanthropist, and the strategic kingdom investor. Our objective is to be transformed from a default giver or philanthropist to a level-three giver, a strategic kingdom investor. The process of becoming a strategic kingdom investor is a daily battle. The power of the cross must continuously work, crucifying us to the lures of this world. We are never permanently immune to the deceitfulness of riches, cares, and the desir...

                                              HE IS WITH YOU No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. —1 Corinthians 10:13  When we’re in the midst of being tempted, God is with us. When you’re in the middle of losing your temper, having a bad attitude, fighting lust—whatever it is—God is right with you. His love for you does not change, and He is going to give you a way of escape as you keep clinging to Him in the midst of the temptation. You may feel like you’re failing. You might be thinking, “Yes, I’m clinging to God, but I’m still sinning. My attitude is still bad. My words are still not fully in alignment with God’s love.” But if you’ll keep hanging on to God, i...

  Open My Eyes! Scripture: 2 Kings 6:16–17 “’ Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. ”  We are in a spiritual battle. Seemingly insurmountable circumstances perplex us, frighten us, and unsettle us. Life seems like a planned obstacle course intended to test us and strengthen our faith. In today’s passage, Elisha’s servant was afraid when they were surrounded by the Syrian army. Elisha reminded him not to be afraid since “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Elisha asked the Lord to open the eyes of the servant so he could see this was the case. The world we see is in tremendous conflict and turmoil. In many ways it is the outward manifestation of the unseen battles that are taking place in the spiritual...

                                            EVIDENCE OF FAITH You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works. —James 2:18 It is true that we are saved by grace and not works. But if we have the Spirit of God living inside us, there will be Holy Spirit-inspired actions. True, biblical faith will produce fruit—it is the natural consequence of being alive in Christ. This is why the Bible says we should examine ourselves and see if we’re in the faith. We should always be taking inventory to see if our lifestyle reflects our faith. If we say we believe one thing, but our actions are contradictory, what we say is discredited, and the gospel gets a black eye. So we must ask ourselves, “Do I treat people with love and respect? Do I reach out to help others? Am I using my talents to build the kingdom? Am I feeding...

  Fix It With Philippians 4:6 Scripture: Philippians 4:6-7 “ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ”  One time I heard a person say, “Fix it with Philippians 4:6.” We experience a lot of turmoil and challenges we need help to overcome. Philippians 4:6-7 gives us a formula to cope successfully with these episodes. The key to overcoming challenges is learning how to pray. Everything good thing is sourced in God, and all of God’s promises have their “yes” or fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. This in itself should help relieve the anxiety or worry that the flesh wants to control us. With an attitude of thankfulness that God will hear our prayers and requests, we are to make our needs known to him. The promise is that the peace of God will, indeed, guard our hearts and m...

  Revelation 21:1–27 Introduction Revelation 21:1–27: As we approach the closing of the year, we will read the final two chapters in Revelation. The central theme of the book is that, through Christ the Lord, God will finally and totally defeat all his enemies, including Satan (Revelation 20:7–10), and will reward his faithful people with the blessings of a new heaven and a new earth when this victory is complete. In today’s reading, John’s vision describes God bringing in a new heaven and earth as well as a new city, which represents a renewal of the whole creation. God will dwell among the people; and pain, sorrow, and death will be no more. Today’s Key Verse: Revelation 21:7 “Those who win the victory will receive this from me: I will be their God, and they will be my children.” Reading 21  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth disappeared, and the sea vanished.  2  And I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out...

  Root Your Zeal in the Knowledge of God Scripture: Romans 10:2-4 “ For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. ” (Romans 10:2-4) What a huge red flag for us to heed in these verses from Romans! Indeed, zeal is a wonderful attribute to have in doing the Lord’s work. However, we must be sure our zeal is based on the right knowledge of Christ. We do not want to have a zeal that is unproductive. Instead, we need to be fueled by the Spirit of God. The religious establishment of Jesus’s day had a zeal for God, but it was based on the law, self-effort, works, and self-justification rather than faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus was in this world, zeal for his Father’s house consumed his life. When I ...

  Luke 2:22–52 Introduction Luke 2:22–52: Today’s reading picks up the storyline from verse 21 in Luke’s Gospel. After Mary and Joseph perform the ceremony of purification (see Leviticus 12:4), 33 days later they bring Jesus to Jerusalem to be dedicated to the Lord. At the Temple, they encounter Simeon and Anna, two elderly and devout people who testify to God’s faithfulness in speaking about Jesus. After completing everything required by the Law, Mary and Joseph return to Nazareth with Jesus. At age 12, Jesus travels with his parents to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. On the return home, Mary and Joseph are unaware that Jesus has remained in Jerusalem, debating with the Jewish teachers in the Temple. Today’s Key Verse: Luke 2:52 Jesus grew both in body and in wisdom, gaining favor with God and people. Reading 22  The time came for Joseph and Mary to perform the ceremony of purification, as the Law of Moses commanded. So they took the child to Jerusalem to present him to ...

  Soaking in the Word of God Scripture: Luke 2:19 “ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ” (Luke 2:19) Can you imagine Mary’s reaction when the shepherds told her about the supernatural events they experienced when Jesus was born? We learn an important lesson from Mary in this passage.  She treasured and pondered these things in her heart.  When we treasure things in our heart, they are special and we think of them often. They are the “go-to things” we reflect upon. These thoughts help us develop convictions that impact our behavior. In Kingdom of God, we believe in  soaking our heart  in the Word of God. The heart absorbs whatever it is soaking in, so a cursory reading of the Word of God is not enough. We must treasure its content and ponder what it is saying to us. Scripture is living and powerful; it impacts how we think, feel, and act. The supernatural exposure the shepherds experienced to the Word, as expressed by the heave...

  GOD WANTS TO BE CLOSE TO YOU  If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.  —John 14:23  Despite longing to be close to Father God, we often feel that He is far away. But the real issue is not that God is far off and doesn’t care about us. Our real predicament is that we are hesitant to open up and completely let Him in.   Years ago, as a new believer, I was praying to experience the Lord more deeply. One day, in my bedroom, suddenly I encountered the powerful presence of the Ruach HaKodesh. But you know what happened next? Something in me pushed Him away. When the Holy Spirit came so close and near to me, involuntarily something in me rose up, and I rejected Him. Why? Because He was too close.   You see, we are often afraid to fully let God in because we feel vulnerable. We are not comfortable with that type of intimacy. We want a relationship with God, but sometimes we p...

  Sonshine: The Call to Be Lights in a Darkened World 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) Think of the sun when it rises in its strength. We can feel its warm and comforting presence. It provides light so we can see where we are going. Christians are called to be lights in this darkened world. Scripture affirms our identity as light bearers: “ You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness ” (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Again, we are challenged to be lights: “… that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world ” (Philippians 2:15). Each Christian has the  daily opportunity to be a light  in their personal world. We are the message bearers of the good ...

                                             ONLY ONE WAY I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.  —John 14:6  Today more than ever before, people are refusing to accept that Jesus is the only way to eternal life. The antichrist spirit is the instigator of this deception that is causing more and more people to believe it is unreasonable and ignorant to believe Jesus is the only way to heaven. They say, “People can go to God any way they choose; there are many paths. Who are you to say your way is the only one?” The Scriptures are clear: “he who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” Those who hold to the Bible’s teaching on this point find themselves outside the mainstream. And due to demonic and cultural pressure, many followe...

  Sin is Crouching at Your Door—Be on Your Guard! Scripture: Genesis 4:7 “ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”  (Genesis 4:7) We must always be on our guard against the wiles of the evil one. As we can see from this message God gave to Cain in Genesis 4:7, sin is indeed crouching at every person’s door. We must rule over the power of sin that desires to have us. The secret to overcoming sin is to be aggressive in fulfilling the mission God has given us, fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we are  powered by the Holy Spirit , we will be able to see the Holy Spirit put to death the misdeeds of our body, just as it is written in Romans: “ Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death...

  ANOINTED TO SERVE And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He  anointed Me to preach  the gospel to the poor…to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” —Luke 4:17–19, emphasis added In today’s verse, Yeshua said the Spirit of the Lord had anointed Him  to … Anointings come to equip us to fulfill a purpose. Jesus was anointed to preach, set free, and reveal God’s favor. So I want to ask you today, What are you anointed for?  The Bible says the Spirit has given each of us some type of spiritual gift we can use to serve others. If you don’t know how you are anointed to serve, ask Father God to show you. Ask Him what specific gifts, talents, or strengths He has imparted to you. When Father God shows you how He has anointed you, ask yourself, “How can I use this anointing to serve the Lord by serving the body of Jesus? What is my assig...

  Fishing for Spiritual Riches Scripture: Matthew 4:19 “‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’”  (Matthew 4:19) Have you ever asked yourself, “What am I fishing for?” Everyone is fishing for something, whether that’s fulfillment, peace, pleasure, material sufficiency, or contentment. Unfortunately, in striving for these things, many miss out on God’s plan for their life since they pay little or no attention to him. Actually, God is the source and provider of all of these things. When Jesus called the disciples, he said he would make them fishers of people. Note the difference in fishing for the  produce of the sea  and fishing for  people . The fish of the sea are perishable. When they are caught in a net and brought to land, they are literally dead meat. In the context of fishing for  people , though, the person who is spiritually dead before being “caught” suddenly becomes spiritually alive. That person has the guaran...

                                           COUNT IT ALL JOY My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. —James 1:2–4 Think about a child in his mother’s womb, totally encased in loving-kindness. The mother is carrying her baby in a secret place, where the child is protected from the outer world. Beloved one, that is how God loves you and me. I know it doesn’t always feel that way. Life can be difficult, even painful. When we face hardships and heartaches, the question becomes, If God cares so much, why does He not do something to take away these challenges? Father allows His children to face difficulty because He uses the obstacles and hardships to bring us into maturity. When the Lord sent some type of sata...

  Acknowledging God’s Mighty Power Scripture: Psalm 62:11 “ God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God. ” (Psalm 62:11) Power belongs to God. This is confirmed throughout Scripture. No wonder the Psalmist said, “ My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him ” (Psalm 62:5). The psalmist learned in his life experience with God, “ By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of the far-off seas ” (Psalm 65:5). Do we as believers have the same expectation as the Psalmist in our everyday living? The answer should be a resounding “YES!” Where can we find the power of God? Scripture tells us, “ 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). We find the power of God in the cross, which is manifested in the person of Jesus Christ: “ …to those who...

                             KEEP YOUR HEART FIXED ON YESHUA This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. —1 John 5:14–15 Sometimes people think if they believe, they can have anything they want—the fancy car, the big house, the grand trips and nice clothes. Even if they don’t intend to, they see Jesus as a magic genie and view their relationship with Him as a means to achieve your dream. But the Bible says God grants us everything we ask for  that’s according to His will . Yes, He wants us to be happy, but He wants us to be happy from being made whole in Yeshua. When Messiah walked the earth, He had inner contentment and was completely at peace. It wasn’t because He had the biggest house, ate the finest food, or rode the best don...

  Living a Power-Driven Life Scripture: Colossians 3:1–3 “ If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ” (Colossians 3:1-3) If you are a serious practitioner of Kingdom of God, you are living a  power-driven life . The person of Jesus Christ has become the power within your life to bring you into conformity with the will of God for his purpose in this world. You are also seeking the things above. Your life is also becoming increasingly hidden in Christ as you strategically invest your  time, talent, and treasure  into advancing the kingdom of God. What are some of the characteristics of the person whose life is hidden in Christ? “ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work’ ” (John 4:34). You will be focused on doing the will of...