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

  Three Objectives to Help Us Make the Most of Our Lives Scripture: Colossians 4:5 “ Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. ” (Colossians 4:5) For the person practicing  Kingdom  of God , redeeming the time we have been given is extremely important. We often hear in the world that “time is money.” Colossians 4:5 counsels us to make the most of every opportunity and to be wise in the way we act toward those who are outside of the faith. We must act on this challenge because our  loaf of time  grows shorter by the day. We must redeem our time since our time will run out. What objectives should we implement on a consistent basis if we want to make the most of our lives? First,  the Word of God needs to become personally operative in our lives. We should heed the popular saying that we need to “walk the talk, if we are going to talk the talk.” Another way to put it is we need to “practice what we preach.” We cannot effe...

   For God says, “I will break the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly.” Psalm 75:10 It’s Just a Matter of Time We all have things we’re believing will change. We’re fighting an illness, struggling with an addiction, or dealing with fear, anxiety, or depression. We prayed, we believed, but we don’t see anything improving. But in the unseen realm the moment you prayed, the strength of what was coming against you was being broken. The strength of the fear, the addiction, the sickness was being broken. Now, you may not see any manifestation for some time. There may not be any evidence that anything changed. This is where many people get discouraged. There will always be a time period when it looks as though God didn’t do what He promised. The fear still comes, the medical report hasn’t improved, the addiction is the same. But the strength of those things has been broken and power is increasing in your life. The truth is the fear is dead, the addicti...

  Do Paul’s Life and Writings Support a Prosperity Gospel? Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:23–27 “ Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. ” (2 Corinthians 11:23-27) Some teachers promote the “prosperity gospel,” the idea that you will prosper in this world if you believe the “right” way. But do the life and writings of the apostle Paul support th...

   “This very day the LORD will put you in my power; I will defeat you and cut off your head.” 1 Samuel 17:46 Put Your Faith Out There When David came against the giant Goliath, he could have looked at Goliath and said, “I don’t have a chance. I’ll never defeat him.” I’m sure those thoughts came to his mind, but David understood the principle that if he spoke those negative words, he was calling in defeat, limitations, and weakness. That’s why he stayed on the offensive and declared, “I will defeat you.” What was he doing? He was calling in victory, favor, and ability, which is exactly what happened. When you face challenges, it’s so important what you’re saying. When you’re facing an illness, you need to call in healing and declare, “I will defeat this sickness. I will live and not die. The number of my days God will fulfill. I am healed. I am whole.” You have to call in greatness, call in new levels, call in courage. Put your faith out there. Call in your dreams, favor, abun...

  Be a Vessel of Christ Scripture: Psalm 71:16 “ I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only. ” (Psalm 71: 16) As we navigate through this world, we need to remember that we are mere vessels. We are carrying precious cargo: the message of Christ to declare to a lost and dying world. Our mission is to proclaim  his  story, not our own story. Only by the strength of Christ can we hope to live the Christian life in a credible way. The righteousness of God saves us and gives us right standing with God. This is why the Psalmist said he would go into his everyday life in the strength of the Lord and in God’s righteousness alone. We have no righteousness of our own. In fact, Scripture says our righteousness is as filthy rags in the sight of God. The apostle Paul said he did not want a righteousness that comes from self – one based on the law, works, and self-effort. Rather, Paul wanted the righteousness that comes from God,...

   “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” Daniel 4:37 Recognize God’s Goodness In Daniel 4, King Nebuchadnezzar had been boasting that it was by his power that the great city Babylon had been built. Even while he was speaking, God said, “Nebuchadnezzar, this day you lost the kingdom.” Why is that? God will not share His glory. If you’re going to claim it as your own, as though it was by your ability or strength, He’ll step away, with consequences. For seven years, Nebuchadnezzar lost his throne and his sanity. What’s interesting is that when Nebuchadnezzar changed his mind and realized it was God who had given him the favor, that it was God who had promoted him, he humbled himself and spoke today’s Scripture. A few verses earlier he was saying, “My power, my might.” Now he was saying, “I praise the King of heaven.” Instead of takin...

  Silence is Not an Option Scripture: 2 Kings 7:9 “ Then they said to one another, ‘We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.’”  (2 Kings 7:9) The siege was on by Aram, and people were starving in Samaria. Four lepers decided to surrender to the enemy, hoping they’d be allowed to live. When they went to the location of the enemy camp, the lepers discovered the soldiers had fled. The Lord had made the soldiers hear sounds that caused them believe allies were approaching to help. In their haste to flee, the army had abandoned all of their food and valuables. The lepers plundered what they could, storing as much as possible for themselves. Then they realized that what they were doing was not right. People were starving just over the hill! Remaining silent was not an option.  They felt compelled to share the good ...

  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters. Psalm 23:2 Balanced It’s interesting how often we feel that we can somehow defy the natural laws of living a balanced life and still expect to feel good. When you feel the blahs, you need to get in an environment that’s uplifting. Don’t come home from work and sit in a dark house, watch sad movies, listen to sad music, think sad thoughts, eat sad food, and hang around sad people. Open the shades and let some light in. Put on some inspiring music. Go outside and take a walk and get some fresh air. Get some exercise and shake off the sedentary lifestyle. Get your endorphins kicking in. God has put certain hormones in us that give us a boost and make us feel more passionate when we activate them. They help take the negativity away. You need proper sleep, and you need to eat healthy. Practical steps can help keep us being passionate and having the energy and vision that we should. You’re only going to find it wh...

  A New Way of Living Scripture: Deuteronomy 17:16 “ But… the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’ ” (Deuteronomy 17:16) After the wise men’s encounter with the newborn King, the Lord instructed them to return to their homeland by a different route. Things change when Jesus Christ assumes control of our lives.  We become new creations and are transformed into instruments for service to God. We abandon the old ways of doing things. We no longer try to earn our way to God through works. Instead of living the law of the flesh, we live by the law of faith. We become ambassadors for Christ. As we practice the concepts of  soak ,  sow ,  and  flow    our attitudes, thinking, and behavioral patterns change. The love of Christ compels us to live in harmony with the will of God. Even though we are wasting away outwardly, we discover we are being renewed inwardly daily. As we consider this transformation process, the words of John th...

  Micah 2:1–13 Introduction Micah 2:1–13: Micah describes the punishment that awaits those who abuse their power. The chapter concludes with a promise of hope for those who survive. Today’s Key Verse: Micah 2:13 (GNT) God will open the way for them and lead them out of exile. They will break out of the city gates and go free. Their king, the LORD himself, will lead them out. Read 2  How terrible it will be for those who lie awake and plan evil! When morning comes, as soon as they have the chance, they do the evil they planned.  2  When they want fields, they seize them; when they want houses, they take them. No one’s family or property is safe. 3  And so the Lord says, “I am planning to bring disaster on you, and you will not be able to escape it. You are going to find yourselves in trouble, and then you will not walk so proudly any more.  4  When that time comes, people will use the story about you as an example of disaster, and they will si...

  Keep Moving! Scripture: Exodus 14:15 “ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. ’” (Exodus 14:15) A paper weight on my desk has the inscription, “Don’t wait for your ship to come in. Swim out to it!” In practicing  Kindom  of God, we aggressively look for ways to invest our talents for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. People often make the mistake of waiting for their ship to come in – hoping for something to come their way. Good intentions alone are not enough to accomplish any worthwhile objective. Perhaps the Lord is saying, “Stop waiting for your ship; start swimming!” Someone said it is a lot easier to steer a moving car than one that is standing still. As we participate in worthwhile Kingdom efforts, we can more easily see how the Lord is guiding us to the places where we can be the most productive. We need to be alert to areas in which the Spirit of God is moving and blessing the efforts being made on his behal...

  Introduction Micah 1:1–16: Today we begin reading the book of the prophet Micah. He was from a country town in Judah (also known as the Southern Kingdom) and announced that Judah was about to face a national catastrophe. Amos, a prophet from Israel (the Northern Kingdom), had predicted something similar for that nation (see Amos 2:6—3:2; 6:1–14). Micah’s book is a collection of oracles, and the first chapter begins with a message of doom. The prophet calls upon the people to listen to the Lord. Today’s Key Verse: Micah 1:3 (GNT) The LORD is coming from his holy place; he will come down and walk on the tops of the mountains. Read 1  During the time that Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, the Lord gave this message to Micah, who was from the town of Moresheth. The Lord revealed to Micah all these things about Samaria and Jerusalem. 2  Hear this, all you nations; listen to this, all who live on earth! The Sovereign Lord will testi...