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

  UNWAVERING FAITH “Without becoming weak in faith he [Abraham] contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God.” — Romans 4:19–20  In Genesis 18, the Lord appeared to Abraham and said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” As you may know, there was just one problem: Abraham and Sarah were well past the age of childbearing. In the natural, there was no hope of them conceiving a child. But Abraham believed in something bigger and more reliable than his circumstance. And he was rewarded for his faith with the birth of his son Isaac. Sometimes what God has told us seems impossible, but faith will always believe God. We are to walk by faith and not by sight, and we do this by clinging to God’s Word. We agree with what we sen...

  Son Power Prepares Us for God’s Work Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:21 “ If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.”  (2 Timothy 2:21) Son Power  must be at work on the inside of us as well as on outside if we are to be used by God to accomplish his will. Jesus tells us, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them” (John 14:23). We show Jesus that we love him by obeying his commandments. The Father and Son’s visitation to us is conditioned on our being obedient believers. The question each of us must ask ourselves is this: Do we  want  to be a vessel that Christ can use? Ephesians 4:30–32 tells us, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every for...

  FIRST PLACE “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’” — Matthew 22:36–37  Many people think loving God means acknowledging Him, attending church services, or giving financially to build His kingdom. Those are all good things, but loving God is far more than that. It means to put God first and make Him Lord in every area of our lives.  There are some people who say they love God and do certain “Christian” things, but much of the time, they’re not even thinking about Him. This isn’t the fullness of the love that Father God is seeking. To love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength means there is no area we don’t include Him in. All means all; anything less is unacceptable. Jesus said, “He who loves father or mother…son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” Messiah Jesus is either the Lord of all, or He’s not our ...

  Perishable vs. Imperishable Scripture: Luke 4:1–2 “Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days.”  (Luke 4:1–2) Without  Son Power , we are helpless to counter the deceitfulness of Satan. Notice in the above verses that Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit.” Son Power gives us the wisdom we need to counter the various temptations of the evil one. The entire story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness is found in Luke 1:1–13.  Jesus was filled with the Spirit  and  led into the wilderness by the Spirit. He was tempted by Satan when he was at a point of human weakness. It was only through the power of the Holy Spirit that he was able to overcome Satan’s temptations. Satan tempted Jesus in areas of physical comfort, material blessings, and the allure of power and fame. With each attempt to tempt him, Jesus countered with the use of the Word of ...

  THE GIFT OF REVELATION “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” — Matthew 13:13 This verse presents a conundrum. It indicates that Jesus not only revealed knowledge but that He also concealed it. To those who drew near to Him for the right reasons, He released revelation. But to those who came to Him with pride and wrong motives, He concealed truth. Matthew 13 also says, “Whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” In other words, people who didn’t receive His message would lose even the little revelation they had been given.  This is a hard truth, but I share it to remind you that when you know Jesus, you have been given a precious gift. You don’t know Yeshua because you’re smarter than other people or because you were born into the right home. If you have revelation, it’s because God has given it to you. He has revealed to you what He has hidden...

  The Source of Son Power Scripture: Hebrews 1:10–12 “ In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. You will fold them up like a cloak and discard them like old clothing. But you are always the same; you will live forever. ” (Hebrews 1:10–12) These verses were written about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus is the one who laid the foundation of the earth! Jesus made the heavens with his hands! Jesus is the one who is always the same and will live forever! The earth and heavens we are able to see will be folded up someday and discarded like old clothing, but Jesus will live forever. From a human perspective, I do not know if we can even begin to comprehend the magnitude of these verses. We are talking about power far beyond any human imagination. We are talking about  Son Power . The same Son Power that is at work in the heart of the submissive...

  LOOK UP “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” — Colossians 3:1–4   Yeshua has been raised from the dead and is seated at the right hand of God in heaven. Paul tells us this is where our focus needs to be. We need to be looking up, seeking to be filled with the inheritance and resources that are ours in Messiah Jesus.  As followers of Jesus, we’ve been severed from sin and made alive in Christ. We’ve been raised up to walk in newness of life, a life that’s alive unto God. So we need to draw our resources, shalom, joy, and identity from heavenly places, not from the earth. And the Scripture says if we do this, when the whole world sees Yeshua for who ...

  Divine Power Scripture: Zechariah 4:6 “ Then he said to me, ‘This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’ ” (Zechariah 4:6) Son Power   is the Holy Spirit at work in the life of the believer.  Son Power works in our life as we continue to receive the revelation and understanding of the Holy Spirit. He is the divine power of God, the Lord Jesus Christ himself prompting us and empowering us to do his will. Son Power is sourced in God alone.  Many passages in the Bible confirm that the sufficiency for living the Christian life is provided to us by God. It is not by self-power, self-effort, or self-reliance that we accomplish anything of everlasting value. Trusting in self to live the Christian life will always lead to failure. In John 6:63, Jesus said, “The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life”...

  A REMEDY FOR FEAR “Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind stopped.” — Matthew 14:31–32 Beloved one, if you are struggling with fear or doubt, there is a remedy: have faith in God’s Word.  When Jesus told Peter to step out of the boat and walk on the water, Peter took God at His word and did something supernatural. But as soon as he took his focus off Yeshua and His word, Peter began to sink. When we stop believing God’s Word, we start to sink too. But when we apply God’s Word to our specific fears and anxieties, we will overcome them in the same way Peter overcame the laws of nature when he walked on water.  How do we do this? Find scriptures that combat your insecurities or doubts and keep those verses in front of you. Write them on index cards and put them in your car, on your bathroom mirror, at your desk at work, on the refrigerator—anywhere you w...

  Christ is the Power of God Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:24–25, 27–29 “ But to those called by God to salvation … Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.    This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.…  God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. ” (1 Corinthians 1:24–25, 27–29) All of life is sourced in God. He holds our very breath in his hand. He directs all of our ways. He gives us our abilities, opportunities, and whatever resources we need to live a life in conformance with his will. All that we have comes from God. The Bible makes it very clear...

  Introduction Hosea 11:12—12:14: Today’s reading includes more words of condemnation and judgment, both for the northern kingdom of Israel and now also the southern kingdom of Judah. Their common ancestor, Jacob, is recalled along with references to God’s rescuing the people from slavery in Egypt.  Today’s Key Verse: Hosea 12:10 [The LORD says:] “I spoke to the prophets and gave them many visions, and through the prophets I gave my people warnings.” Reading 12  The Lord says, “The people of Israel have surrounded me with lies and deceit, and the people of Judah are still rebelling against me, the faithful and holy God. 12  Everything that the people of Israel do from morning to night is useless and destructive. Treachery and acts of violence increase among them. They make treaties with Assyria and do business with Egypt.” 2  The Lord has an accusation to bring against the people of Judah; he is also going to punish Israel for the way her peo...

  Born Of the Spirit Scripture: John 3:8 “ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit. ” (John 3:8) These are the words of Jesus. The working of the Holy Spirit is like the wind; we cannot see it or control it, but we see its effects. God can do anything he wants. He cannot be put in a box. When we are born of the Spirit of God, he opens our spiritual eyes so we can see and understand his Word, but we do not always have a clear picture as to how this is accomplished. We are born by the Spirit, not by the will of man. God has chosen us to go and bear fruit for the expansion of his kingdom in order to bring glory to himself. Oh, how we want the Spirit to move greatly in our life so we can be productive in the kingdom of the Lord! We want to be like the seed that produces a huge crop, as in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:23: “But the seed falling...

  Introduction Hosea 11:1–11: God’s love for Israel is compared to a parent’s love for a child. A time of exile is predicted prior to the people being reconciled to God. Today’s Key Verse: Hosea 11:9b “I am God and not a mere human being. I, the Holy One, am with you. I will not come to you in anger.” Reading 11  The Lord says, “When Israel was a child, I loved him     and called him out of Egypt as my son. 2  But the more I called to him,     the more he turned away from me. My people sacrificed to Baal;     they burned incense to idols. 3  Yet I was the one who taught Israel to walk. I took my people up in my arms,     but they did not acknowledge that I took care of them. 4  I drew them to me with affection and love.     I picked them up and held them to my cheek;     I bent down to them and fed them. 5  “They refuse to r...

  Our Battle Is the Spirit’s Battle Scripture: 2 Chronicles 20:15 “ This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. ” (2 Chronicles 20:15) When we allow the Holy Spirit to take control of how we think, feel, and act, the battles we face become the Lord’s responsibility as we trust in him. The odds may seem to be insurmountable at times, but the One who laid the foundation of the earth and created the heavens is certainly able to overcome any possible problems we have. Our vision of God is often way too small. He is always able to remove the mountains and obstacles in our lives. In 2 Chronicles 20, the people listened to the Jahaziel, positioned themselves as instructed, and trusted in the Lord, praising him as they went forth into battle. By the time they met the enemy, the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir had not only destroyed the enemy, they also turned on one another and destroyed each other. I...

  FRIENDS OF GOD “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” — John 15:15  As you may know, the nation of Israel can be traced back to Abraham. And Genesis 22:18 says in Abraham’s seed “all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” But what exactly does that mean for you and me today?  Galatians 3:14 tells us that the blessing of Abraham has come upon everyone who puts their faith in Messiah Jesus. So even if you are not Jewish by birth, if you have come into a relationship with the God of Israel through Yeshua,  the blessing of Abraham has come to you . In light of that, consider this: in Isaiah 41:8 the Lord calls Abraham His friend. That means through Yeshua, you are also in friendship with God because you share in the blessing of Abraham. You have been “grafted in.” And “now in Christ Jesus you who previously ...

  Focus on God’s Word Scripture: Psalm 19:7–8 “The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.” (Psalm 19:7–8) Focusing on what the Spirit desires is critical to having Son Power work in and through us. Such focus leads to a progressive transformation of the soul to be more Christlike in attitude, desire, and behavior. It is through the promises of God that we are able to tap into his divine plans and purposes. His Word gives us the wisdom we need to make right choices. Meditating on the promises of God revives our soul, makes us wise, brings joy to our heart, and gives us insight. It is through His Word that we learn that we are living in a perishing world and that we have the opportunity to convert the world’s perishable items of  time, talent, and treasure  into im...

  DEVELOPING SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”” — Romans 8:15  As we grow in Christ, we will grow in spiritual discernment. “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” Too many of us think our thoughts are just thoughts. But today’s verse says thoughts that produce fear are tied to a spirit.  As believers in Yeshua, we have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear. Those thoughts that make you anxious are tied to a spirit, and you can reject them. And remember that you are not your thoughts. Having an anxious thought doesn’t mean you are afraid. God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of love and power and a sound mind—a spirit of freedom.  As we grow in grace, we will recognize the thoughts that cripple us: thoughts that bring us down to o...

  All Things Have Become New Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17 “ If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. ” (2 Corinthians 5:17) “ Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’ ” (Revelation 21:5) Truly, we serve a God who is always doing something new! The Bible teaches that when we are born of the Spirit of God we: are qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints are delivered from the power of the evil one do not come into judgment pass from death to eternal life are transferred into a new paradigm of the kingdom of Jesus Christ in whom we have the forgiveness of sin It is a new life! However, God has not finished making all things new. The time is coming when the present earth and heavens will also pass away, and he will make a new heaven and earth. This world is passing away; the rulers and wisdom of this age are com...

  HUMBLE YOURSELF “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” — Matthew 23:12 When Messiah Jesus made His grand entrance into Jerusalem, He didn’t embrace the pomp and circumstance expected of a king. Instead, Yeshua entered the Old City riding a donkey. The One who created the universe with His words chose to make His triumphal entry sitting humbly upon a donkey for all to see. This gives us an incredible insight into the nature of God. Our great Father is gentle and humble of heart, and because of this we can actually move Him. When we voluntarily choose to love Him, it warms His heart. In fact, we can actually add to Father’s happiness when we choose to please Him and put Him first. Consider that we can even make Him weep as Yeshua did after Lazarus died. We can either move Father to joy or to tears. That is God’s genius in creating you and me in His own image. Even though our God is complete and needs nothing, we can touch Him b...

  From Weakness to Son Power Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:42–44 “Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.   They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.”  (1 Corinthians 15:42–44) “ Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! ” (Matthew 13:43) “ You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. ” (1 John 4:4) “ But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”  (Isaiah 40:31) Those who embrace the  principle...