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

  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4–5, ESV Unworthy No More Sometimes when we’ve done wrong, compromised, and made poor choices, we think we’re unworthy of God’s love and don’t deserve anything good. Some people say, “After all, I’m just a poor old sinner saved by grace. I can’t expect God’s blessing.” But when we gave our life to God, we were made alive together with Christ and became new creations. We are no longer sinners. Now we are sons and daughters of the Most High God, crowned with His favor and grace and destined to overcome. Don’t fall into the trap of unworthiness. Shake off the guilt, the shame, the feelings of less-than, and “come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy.” You can’t go as a weak worm of the dust, saying, “I don’t deserve it. I’m so unworthy. I can’t do anything right.” No, go with bo...

  Fishing for Spiritual Riches Scripture: Matthew 4:19, NIV “‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’” (Matthew 4:19, NIV) 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 gu...

  After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. Mark 6:53–55, NLT A Garden of Abundance Oluwafemi, it is interesting that before the disciples’ boat was caught in a great storm on the lake that their destination was Bethsaida, which was called a desert place, a barren land that was not desirable. However, the storm that seemed so uncontrollable and threatening until Jesus came and calmed the winds blew them to Gennesaret, which was called a garden of abundance, a beautiful place in Galilee. Jesus brought an abundance of healing to the people there and made it a place of miracles. You may feel that you’re in a storm of difficulty and headed to a barren place, to defeat, to brokenness. Don’t believe those lies. You don’t know where the wind is blowing you. You can’t see it now, but G...

  Scripture: Psalm 62:11, NKJV “ God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God. ” (Psalm 62:11, NKJV) 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, NKJV). 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, NKJV). 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, NKJV). We find the power of God in the cross, which is manifested in the person of Jesus Christ: “ …to those who ar...

  “You are the world’s light—a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:14–16, TLB Shine Bright Oluwafemi, sometimes God will assign you to difficult people, perhaps a negative workplace with coworkers who are hard to get along with, who compromise, who take the easy way out, who play politics and backstab. You’re not there by accident. God has you there to shine brightly. He’s counting on you to be a good influence, to be grateful when they’re complaining, to have integrity when they’re compromising. He’s counting on you to show mercy when they’re judgmental, to see the best in people when they’re jealous, critical, and finding fault. Light has the greatest impact in darkness. If you’re in the light all the time, you’re not going to be that effective. Quit complaining about the dark and let your light shine. They didn’t st...

  Living a Power-Driven Life Scripture: Colossians 3:1–3, NKJV “ 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, NKJV) If you are a serious practitioner of KingdomNomics, 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, NKJV). You will be focused on doing ...

  Introduction Nehemiah 2:1–20: Nehemiah asks Emperor Artaxerxes to permit him to go to Jerusalem. While there, he inspects the city’s walls and gates. Today’s Key Verse: Nehemiah 2:17b GNT [Nehemiah said:] “Let’s rebuild the city walls and put an end to our disgrace.” Read 2 One day four months later, when Emperor Artaxerxes was dining, I took the wine to him. He had never seen me look sad before,  2  so he asked, “Why are you looking so sad? You aren’t sick, so it must be that you’re unhappy.” I was startled  3  and answered, “May Your Majesty live forever! How can I keep from looking sad when the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4  The emperor asked, “What is it that you want?” I prayed to the God of Heaven,  5  and then I said to the emperor, “If Your Majesty is pleased with me and is willing to grant my request, let me go to the land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are bu...

  Develop a Consuming Desire for God’s Word Scripture: 1 Peter 2:2–3, NIV “ Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. ” (1 Peter 2:2-3, NIV) Once a baby has tasted its mother’s milk, the focus of that baby’s life is to cry, “More! More!” The cry for more milk becomes the overriding desire of the baby’s life. The milk tastes good! The baby needs the milk if it is to survive and grow into a child and then an adult. Peter uses this metaphor to illustrate our consuming desire for the Word of God. The only way we will be able to grow up into mature believers is if we consume God’s Word. The Word of God must saturate our inner person if we are to be effective witnesses for him. By ingesting our “spiritual M&M’s”— m emorizing and  m editating on the Word of God—we can grow in him. When we begin to uncover the riches in the Word of God, we become hooked. “ It is impossible for th...

  Introduction Nehemiah 1:1–11: Today begins a twelve-day reading from the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was originally one book with Ezra, continuing the account of the Jews’ return to Jerusalem after the city’s destruction and decades of exile in Babylon. The people undertake a project to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls and commit to worship and remain faithful to the God of Israel. Today’s reading introduces Nehemiah, a Jew of high rank in the Persian court as a trusted personal servant to Emperor Artaxerxes. Hearing about conditions in Jerusalem, he weeps and prays for the people. Today’s Key Verse: Nehemiah 1:5 GNT [Nehemiah prayed:] “LORD God of Heaven! You are great, and we stand in fear of you. You faithfully keep your covenant with those who love you and do what you command.” Read 1 This is the account of what Nehemiah son of Hacaliah accomplished. In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was emperor of Persia, I, Nehemiah, was in Susa, the capital city....

  Sharing in God’s Secrets Scripture: Psalm 25:14, NIV “ The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. ” (Psalm 25:14, NIV) Imagine it! The Lord actually confides in those who fear him. Not only that, but he also shows them his covenant. This means he shows them his favor. What are we willing to do to experience the favor of God? When we become acquainted with God through his Son, Jesus Christ, all kinds of wonderful things happen. We become friends with God, and friends share secrets along life’s way. The same is true in our relationship with God. He reveals many of the mysteries of the kingdom as our relationship develops with him. “ But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory ” (1 Corinthians 2:7, NKJV). The apostle Paul continued by saying, “T hese are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a per...

  Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8, NIV Starve the Negatives The enemy roars threats, trying to bring fear and cause you to shrink back, to live doubting, insecure, and unworthy. But if you quit feeding the biggest, strongest lion for a week, his roar will be a growl. In two weeks, the king of the jungle is not going to have the strength to attack. In a month, he’s too weak to get up. If you quit feeding him, he loses all his power. In the same way, fear, worry, and doubt can seem too powerful to defeat. But if you quit feeding the negatives, if you quit letting them play in your mind, they will get weaker and weaker. You’ll get to the point where they can’t control you. Every time doubt or fear comes, that’s the roaring lion trying to deceive, manipulate, and limit. It’s your choice of whether you will feed it. Do yourself a favor and start starving those things. They lose all their power ...