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

  So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David from that day on. 1 Samuel 16:13, NLT The Power of the Anointing In 1Samuel 16, when David was seventeen years old, the prophet Samuel showed up at his house to choose one of the eight sons of Jesse to be the next king of Israel. Jesse didn’t even call David in from the shepherds’ fields because he thought David was too young, too small, not talented enough. But when Samuel saw David, he said, “He’s the one.” He anointed David as the next king, and the Scripture says that the Spirit of God came powerfully upon David. With that anointing, David was able to not get bitter about his father and brothers not believing in him. With that anointing, David went out and defeated Goliath and became a national hero. With that anointing, David was able to resist paying King Saul back for repeatedly trying to kill h...

  THE ACROSTIC “G-I-V-E-R” Scripture: Luke 6:38, NIV and Revelation 22:12, NIV “ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  (Luke 6:38, NIV) “ Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. ” (Revelation 22:12, NIV) The Christian life is all about giving. The epitome of giving is God’s gift of salvation to the world of his only begotten Son: “ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ” (John 3:16, NIV) GOD GAVE! When one becomes a Christian  CONVERTERLATOR  and dedicated to converting the perishable into the imperishable values of the kingdom, he becomes a giver, increasingly living for the one who died for him and rose again from the dead. “ And he died for all, that thos...

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans 15:4, NIV It Was Written for You When you read the Scriptures, do you take the encouragement that’s there to give you hope and strength for living? If you listen, you’ll hear David saying, “That giant you’re facing looks big, but our God is bigger. You can defeat it in the name of the Lord Almighty.” Gideon is saying, “You don’t feel qualified. You’re intimidated and hiding. I’ve been there. God says you have what it takes. You’re a mighty hero.” Joseph will tell you, “My brothers sold me into slavery. I was falsely imprisoned and suffered for thirteen years before I stepped into my destiny. God is working all things for your good. Trust Him when you don’t understand.” Lazarus will tell you, “I was dead and wrapped in grave clothes. Jesus can bring back to life a dead dream, a dead marriage, what looks ...

  Christ, the Chief Converterlator, Personified Scripture: Colossians 1:12–14, NKJV “ Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. ” (Colossians 1:12–14, NKJV) God the Creator is always creating, moving, transforming, and bringing everything into conformance with his will. He does this through his pure, unadulterated power: “ God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God. ” (Psalm 62:11, NKJV) These verses exude POWER! “ God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and...

  March 22 Introduction 1 Samuel 1:1–18: Today, we begin reading excerpts from the book of First Samuel, which records Israel’s transition from the period of the judges to a monarchy. This massive cultural shift revolves around the lives of three men: Samuel, the last of the great judges; Saul, Israel’s first king; and David, whose early adventures before coming to power are interwoven with the accounts of Samuel and Saul. Today’s reading introduces us to Hannah, who is childless and tormented by her husband’s other wife, Peninnah. While at the house of the Lord in Shiloh, Hannah prays to God for a son, and the priest Eli overhears her prayer. Today’s Key Verse: 1 Samuel 1:11 GNT [Hannah prayed:] “LORD Almighty, look at me, your servant! … If you give me a son, I promise that I will dedicate him to you for his whole life and that he will never have his hair cut.” Read 1  There was a man named Elkanah, from the tribe of Ephraim, who lived in the town of Ramah in the hill countr...

  By the Spirit Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:14, NKJV “ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. ” (2 Corinthians 13:14, NKJV) It is almost impossible to live life without encountering stress, fear, anxiety, and worry. But all of the above—the grace of Jesus, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit—are needed for us to be consistently successful in overcoming stress, fear, anxiety, and worry in our lives. Thankfully, avenues of escape are provided through our relationship with Jesus Christ. We have previously shown one way of doing this: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”  (Philippians 4:6–7, ESV). Understanding the role of the Holy Spirit gives us additional ammunition to overc...

  Introduction Deuteronomy 7:1–11: Moses reminds the people that they belong to the Lord. He tells them that the Lord will drive out the seven nations that inhabit the land the Israelites are to occupy. He reminds them of the Lord’s love and exhorts them to obey God’s laws. Today’s Key Verse: Deuteronomy 7:6a GNT [Moses said:] “You belong to the LORD your God.” Read 7  “The Lord your God will bring you into the land that you are going to occupy, and he will drive many nations out of it. As you advance, he will drive out seven nations larger and more powerful than you: the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.  2  When the Lord your God places these people in your power and you defeat them, you must put them all to death. Do not make an alliance with them or show them any mercy.  3  Do not marry any of them, and do not let your children marry any of them,  4  bec...

  Justified Before God Scripture: Romans 10:9–10, NIV “ If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ” (Romans 10:9–10, NIV) This passage is the wonderful message of salvation. It is a work of God himself who alone can do this. Other passages of Scripture confirm this truth: “ My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. ” (1 John 2:1–2, NLT) Note that Jesus alone is the sacrifice for our sins. Nothing else is needed; He is the full satisfaction for the payment of our sin. This truth is further stated in Hebrew...

  We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. Romans 5:3–4, NLT When Pressure Comes The apostle Paul says that if you see pressure, difficulties, and setbacks the right way, if you stay full of joy and don’t get bitter, then that pressure is making you stronger. It’s doing something inside, getting you prepared for what God has in store. God knows how to put on just the right amount of pressure so we don’t get complacent, we don’t put our faith on autopilot, but we keep stretching and growing. Here’s the key: Pressure is going to produce either faith, hope, and endurance, or it’s going to produce discouragement, weakness, and “can’t do it.” The question is, What is the pressure producing in your life? Are you seeing it as negative, not fair, letting it defeat you? Have a new perspective. See it as healthy pressure. ...

  Gratitude: The Missing Ingredient Scripture: Luke 17:15–18, NCV “ When one of them saw that he was healed, he went back to Jesus, praising God in a loud voice. Then he bowed down at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. (And this man was a Samaritan.) Jesus said, ‘Weren’t ten men healed? Where are the other nine? Is this Samaritan the only one who came back to thank God?’  ” (Luke 17:15–18, NCV) It appears that man is not grateful for all of the provision God has provided for living in this world. We often tend to be self-centered, focusing more on the negative rather than being thankful for what we do have. It is counter-cultural to express gratitude and to have a thankful spirit. Most of the world is interested in asserting rights and demanding, “what is rightfully mine.” Many people want things to be freely given to them or to obtain them with a minimum amount of work. Our political system is built on who will give me more for free, taking from some in order to give to others. The...

  Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day. Psalm 139:16 Preplanned The psalmist David says that before you got here, God already decided your purpose. He already planned out your days, already put in you everything you need to fulfill His plan. You have gifts and abilities inside that you may not even see right now. Your part is to honor God, to keep Him first place, and you’ll walk into His prearranged plan for your life. This doesn’t mean you won’t have difficulties and face situations that are unfair. It means that God has already taken that into account. When He preplanned your life, He arranged the comeback for every setback, a solution to every problem, mercy for every mistake, and a new beginning for every loss. You don’t have to struggle and try to force what you’re concerned about to work out. It will happen as the Most High God orde...