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

  Listen to the Voice of God, Not the Voices of Doubt “It was by faith that Noah heard God’s warnings about things he could not yet see.” Hebrews 11:7 (NCV) Voices of doubt will try to dissuade, detour, and derail you from you purpose in life. But you must listen to the voice of God, not the voices of doubt. Imagine Noah’s life—building a battleship-sized ark in his front yard while everyone else carried on with their lives. His neighbors must have thought he was crazy. “What’s this guy doing? Building the  Queen Mary  in his yard? Where’s the homeowner’s association?” Even Noah’s family probably questioned him. His sons might have said, “Dad, the ark is embarrassing. Why can’t you get a normal job? Everyone’s laughing at us!” Could you endure that kind of ridicule? Noah did, for decades, with no encouragement. But he listened to God, not the doubters. Dream busters will always show up in your life. Critics, cynics, and even loved ones may question your God-given vision. ...

  Busy Doing What? Scripture: 1 Kings 19:9 “ There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ” (1 Kings 19:9) Have you ever been in a place and asked yourself, “What am I doing here?” For the  Kingdom of God thinker , this is a very important question. As I make choices daily, this question is in the back of my mind. I need to evaluate what kind of a “giver” I will be during the time I have left in this world. The ways in which I decide to spend the time God has given me will determine how much of my activity will echo into eternity. The spending of my treasure, however great or small, will determine if I have anything stored in the “First National Bank of Heaven.” By  soaking our heart in the Word of God  and feeding our soul with the spiritual M and Ms we find in the Word, we will discover what is important to God. He will reveal his will, plan, and purpose for our life as we focus on him and h...

                       LET HIM IN True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. — John 4:23 How do we worship God in spirit and truth? It starts by being authentic. We have to be real. Many people get caught in a religious trap and only say prayers they learned from others. Although some memorized prayers can be powerful, to enter into deep waters in God, we need to bare our souls to the Lord. Father God wants us to confide in Him, sharing our deepest fears and desires.  We need to open our hearts to the Father because He can only come in to the degree we let Him. If our conversations with Him are limited to recited prayers, we are not disclosing who we really are, and He cannot dwell with us in a deep way. God already knows everything about us, so there is nothing to hide. Again, He can only come as far as we let Him.  This is a mystery in our relationship with God. Although the Father knows everything...

  Ride the Wave of the Holy Spirit Scripture: Galatians 6:8 “…the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”  (Galatians 6:8) As we practice the  principles of KingdomNomics , we discover and experience the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to live the Christian life. We  soak our heart  in the Word of God and learn how to  sow to the Spirit  so he can impart his life to us. One of the major ways we sow to the Spirit is to pray to the Lord verses of Scripture we have memorized and meditated on. As we allow our heart to delight in the precious morsels we glean from the Word, the power of the Spirit cleanses and empowers us for our daily tasks. We  flow with the Spirit  on the avenues of life as he navigates our way through the day’s activity. Think about the surfer who looks for the next great wave to ride. The rider focuses all attention on the movement of the waters to determine when, where, and how to jump on the...

                   SET APART Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. — Romans 1:1, emphasis added Even as Paul was “set apart,” so too as followers of Yeshua, you and I are called to be separate. We are to think and behave differently from the world around us. In fact, Scripture says we are not of this world. We have been selected to live apart from this world and to bring truth and the message of eternity to those whom God brings into our lives. Of course, our words will sometimes evoke a negative response. Think about Paul. He was beaten, ridiculed, and maligned because he was set apart. In fact, he wrote most of the New Testament while in prison. Consider also the people of Israel. They have been persecuted and hated from the beginning of their history. We should expect the same, and we must be willing to suffer the reproach of our calling. “Indeed, all who desire to live ...

  Are You Following a Mirage? Scripture: John 6:27 “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life….”  (John 6:27) The self-life is a dead end. Unfortunately, most people concentrate on how they can meet their own desires and needs and give little thought to their own eternal destinies or the eternal destinies of others. When we labor for the food that endures to eternal life, we become more heavenly minded and earthly sensitive. We realize we have been left in this world to serve the interests of God. We begin to join others who are in the process of bringing their lives into conformance with God’s will. As we do this, God empowers us to serve him and others, bringing us a life of fulfillment. Following the self-life and the pursuit of more and more never satisfies one for long. It is a mirage that ultimately leads to self-destruction. Paul said, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21) He was a follower of Jes...

  THE LAMB OF GOD Seeing Yeshua approaching, John the Baptist declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” — John 1:29 When John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the Lamb of God, he was pointing back to the first Passover when the children of Israel were delivered out of Egypt through the blood of a lamb. Through divine revelation, John understood that Yeshua would become the final and ultimate sacrificial Lamb for all mankind.  Yeshua’s last supper with His disciples before going to the cross was a Passover meal, where He foretold that He would die for us, ushering in a new covenant in His blood. It was no coincidence that Yeshua was crucified on Passover. God preordained this to declare to the world that Yeshua’s sacred blood fulfilled the ancient Passover miracle. But consider this: it was not enough for the ancient Israelites to simply collect the lambs’ blood in basins. They had to personally apply it to the doorposts of their homes. Likew...

  Don’t Park Here! Scripture: Philippians 3:13–14 “.. . But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. ” (Philippians 3:13-14) I entered a parking lot and spotted a sign in front of a couple of parking spaces that said, “DON’T PARK HERE! I got the message. I moved on. This is what God wants us to do in our everyday life. We are to learn from the past, move on, and strain to meet the goals and objectives he has for us. Many people make the mistake of parking in front of their failures and/or disappointments. To do so is crippling. Instead of parking in front of our failures, we must accept the fact that our circumstances and relationships are always in a state of flux, and we must respond to the changes and challenges that come our way. To overcome challenges, we need the power of the cross to operate in our life. The best antidote for depression and...

  Walk in the Light But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. — 1 John 1:7 To walk in the Light is to constantly reach out to Jesus. As we follow Yeshua, the Light of the world, we will be cleansed of our sin through His blood, the living Word, and the Spirit. As a result, we will find ourselves being brought into deeper and deeper communion with God.  It’s the concept of similarity and dissimilarity at work. Consider, for example, an elephant and a mouse. They have nothing in common. They are dissimilar and have no relational connection. But an elephant and another elephant can be in relationship because they’re alike. In fact, elephant mothers train their young to survive. Similarly, as we reach out to Jesus and He cleanses us of sin, we are being transformed into His image and actually become His friends. Yeshua said, “No longer do I call you sl...

  God Working in Your Life? Scripture: Philippians 2:12–13 “… —continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. ” (Philippians 2:12-13) Have you ever tried to push a car by yourself when the engine was not working? For most of us it is not possible to do so in our own strength. The key to living the Christian life is trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit to live through us, and not trusting in ourselves to do so. The flesh in itself does not have the power to live the Christian life. The Holy Spirit is like the engine in a car. The car will not move without the engine working. The Holy Spirit is like the battery in a flashlight. Unless the battery is working, there is no light. For the car to move and serve its purpose, the engine must be turned on. For the flashlight to shine a light beam, the battery must be engaged. For us to live the Christian life, we must be filled with the ...

  Introduction Colossians 1:15–23: Today’s reading includes a description of the person and work of Christ and concludes with Paul’s exhortation to remain faithful.  Today’s Key Verse: Colossians 1:15 Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things. Reading 15  Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things.  16  For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him.  17  Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place.  18  He is the head of his body, the church; he is the source of the body's life. He is the first-born Son, who was raised from death, in order that he alone might have the first place in all things.  19...

  The WOW Factor of God’s Word Scripture: Jeremiah 29:10 “ For thus says the Lord: … I will visit you and perform My good word toward you…. ” (Jeremiah 29:10) If we could only grasp these truths, truly trusting in the promises that God performs for those who cultivate a close relationship with him, we surely would have a greater impact on our world! God’s Word is living and powerful. It works in those who receive it and trust in it. Jesus promised he would not leave us as orphans. He also promised that He and the Father would make their home with us if we love him by obeying his commandments. These verses and others indicate that he will visit us, and perform his good word toward us as we cultivate our relationship with him. These are great passages for our Spiritual M & Ms (Memorize & Meditate). We can  soak  our heart in them,  sow  them to the Spirit in our prayer life, and  flow with the Spiri t as he imparts his life to our mortal body. I wonde...

  Colossians 1-1-14 Introduction Colossians 1:1–14: Today we begin the Letter to the Colossians. It opens with the apostle Paul’s greeting and prayer of thanksgiving. Colossae was a small inland city in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), about 110 miles east of the port city of Ephesus in the Lycus River valley. Among Paul’s purposes in writing was to warn the Colossians about false teachers in their midst and to counter their teachings with the true Christian message. When reading this letter, listen for echoes from the Letter to the Ephesians, the readings earlier this month, January 1–9. Today’s Key Verse: Colossians 1:9b We ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will, with all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives. Reading 1  From Paul, who by God’s will is an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy— 2  To God’s people in Colossae, who are our faithful friends in union with Christ: May God our Father give you grace and peace. 3  We ...

  The Masks Money Wears Scripture: Mark 4:19 “But the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ” (Mark 4:19) In  Kingdom  of God , we discuss money because Jesus had a lot to say about money and the dangers associated with it. And money is dangerous, like a rattlesnake. It can be so deceitful. Jesus tells us that our excessive concern for money can choke the Word, keeping us from bearing fruit. This happens when we think so much about money that we fail to allow the Word of God to take root. Money can wear many “masks.” Excessive worrying about money is one mask that can hinder us from developing our relationship with God. Another mask might be an unhealthy desire for money—an assumption that we’ll be satisfied if we have a lot of money. The mask of desiring the things money may provide can also choke the Word from being effective in our life. If we allow money to control us in thi...

  THE BELLS AND THE POMEGRANATES But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses. —Acts 1:8  Being an authentic witness is to represent Yeshua to anyone God has appointed us to influence so they will have an opportunity to either accept or reject Him. This involves both our words and our deeds. The ancient high priest of Israel wore a robe that had pomegranates and bells all around its hem: “A golden bell and a pomegranate, all around on the hem of the robe. It shall be on Aaron when he ministers.” The bells could be heard; they represent our words that point people to the Messiah. The pomegranates represent the fruit of the Spirit, which should be reflected in our character and the way we live our lives.  Too often Christians are extreme on one side of this equation. For example, some believers are very kind, thoughtful, and giving, but they never tell those they’re helping about Jesus. This is like the high priest ha...

  Make a Habit of Expressing Gratitude Scripture: Psalm 50:23 “ He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”  (Psalm 50:23) We live in a world where gratitude is a rare commodity. Most people spend their time asserting their rights or demanding more and more for doing less and less. The focus of the  Kingdom  of God  thinker is sharply different. The KingdomNomics thinker works to be an effective instrument of God. The focus is on  making an impact for the advancement of the kingdom of God , not on asserting personal rights and ambitions. This passage from Psalm 50 tells us we honor God when we express gratefulness. Not only does a grateful heart honor God, but it prepares the way for God to move in the life of the believer. When we express gratitude to God, we are also expressing faith in him and in his provision for us. This causes God, subject to his sovereign will, to prepare the...

  A Focused Life Is a Powerful Life “Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.” Genesis 24:4  There is nothing more powerful than a focused life. It’s kind of like light. Light that is unfocused and diffused has no power. But if you focus it with a magnifying glass, you can use it to start a fire. If you focus light even more, it becomes a laser that can cut through steel and kill cancer. Your life is like that. The more focused your life is, the more impact it will have and the more success you will have in reaching your goals. The classic chapter in the Bible on success is Genesis 24. It’s the story of Abraham, Eleazar, Isaac, and Rebekah, and we’re going to learn from their story over the next several days. God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation, but Abraham had grown old, and his son Isaac still hadn’t married or had children. Abraham began to wonder how he would have a great nation without any grand...

  Plug in to the Power Generator Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:5 “… that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. ”   (1 Corinthians 2:5) Faith operates only when it is placed in the right object. Power flows through a power line only when it is plugged into a proper power source. There is no power in faith itself. Faith is the power line that transmits the power flowing from the power generator:  God . Believers must place our faith in God, the source of power that sparks us to do his work in our world. We have no power in and of ourselves. For it is God himself who is at work in us, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. According to Isaiah 26:12, it is God who does our works in us. This is a core  Kingdom  of God principle: unless God operates in our lives, our efforts will fail to stand the test of fire in the future. A foundation built on self will burn up. But when we build our lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ, ou...

THE GIFT OF OBSTACLES To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God. —Revelation 2:7  Have you ever wondered why a compassionate God doesn’t quickly remove all our problems, or why He let Adam and Eve fall in the first place? After all, the difficulties we experience are a result of the fall. If God cares so much, why didn’t He prevent Adam and Eve from sinning? If He knew they were going to disobey Him, why didn’t He take a different course? Beloved one, it may be hard to hear, but God uses evil so that we can be strengthened and made complete by overcoming it. We actually grow by overcoming difficult things in our lives; this is part of God’s plan. With each victory, we are transformed into who God wants us to be. “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.” 1  Every obstacle becomes a stepping stone that leads us to our ultimate place in Him, which is being ...

  Will You Forfeit Your Future for Today? Scripture: Jonah 2:8 “ Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. ” (Jonah 2:8) When we decide to cling to worthless idols instead of following God-given directives, our lives can be shortened or destroyed. A self-driven life forfeits what possibly could have been a great future for the rubble of temporary pleasures. This principle is demonstrated over and over in the Bible: Esau  traded his birthright for a bowl of stew. Cain  failed to conquer sin crouching at his door, killing Abel, and was “marked” for life. Achan  and his entire family were stoned to death because Achan disobeyed the Lord by taking and hiding silver in his tent when the Hebrews attacked the city of Ai as they entered the Promised Land. Absalom  shortened his life by rebelling against his father, King David, when he attempted to usurp the kingdom from David. King Belshazzar , the last king of Babylon, had an untimely e...