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

  He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty….He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge. Psalm 91:1, 4, NKJV The Shadow of the Almighty Sometimes it feels like we’re surrounded by trouble, surrounded by evil, surrounded by sickness. A lot may be happening on the outside, things that could have you upset, worried, or afraid, but you can’t let that get inside. What you may not realize is there’s something else surrounding you, a secret place where you can rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Your job is to stay in that secret place, to stay close to God, to keep Him first place in your life. The secret place is a place of peace, a place of trust. In that secret place, there’s a calmness, a rest. You know the Most High God is watching after you. You know you’re covered under His wings, that He has you hidden in a safe place. When you’re in that secret place, for calamity to get to you, it has to ...

  Do Paul’s Life and Writings Support a Prosperity Gospel? Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:23–27, ESV “ 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, ESV) 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 ...

  Introduction Haggai 2:1–23: The LORD instructs Haggai to encourage the people by telling them how splendid the new Temple will be and that nations will bring their treasures to the Temple. The LORD promises to bless the people; and Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, will rule as governor in God’s name and with God’s authority. Today’s Key Verse: Haggai 2:4 GNT [The LORD said]: “But now don’t be discouraged, any of you. Do the work, for I am with you.” Read 2 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month of that same year, the Lord spoke again through the prophet Haggai.  2  He told Haggai to speak to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, to Joshua, the High Priest, and to the people, and to say to them,  3  “Is there anyone among you who can still remember how splendid the Temple used to be? How does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all.  4  But now don’t be discouraged, any of you. Do the work, for I am with you.  5  When ...

  Be a Vessel of Christ Scripture: Psalm 71:16, NKJV “ I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only. ” (Psalm 71: 16, NKJV) 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 com...

  Introduction Haggai 1:1–15: Haggai was one of the prophets who urged the people to rebuild the Temple. The people had returned from exile in Babylon (538 B.C.) and had lived in Jerusalem for nearly twenty years, but the Temple still lay in ruins. Haggai warns the people that their failure to rebuild the Temple has brought about their current hardship, which will end once construction begins. Today’s Key Verse: Haggai 1:13 GNT Then Haggai gave the LORD’s message to the people: “I will be with you—that is my promise.” Read 1 During the second year that Darius was emperor of Persia, on the first day of the sixth month, the Lord spoke through the prophet Haggai. The message was for the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and for the High Priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak. 2  The Lord Almighty said to Haggai, “These people say that this is not the right time to rebuild the Temple.”  3  The Lord then gave this message to the people through the prophet Hagg...

  Silence is Not an Option Scripture: 2 Kings 7:9, NKJV “ 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, NKJV) 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 sha...

  Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8, NLT Cover or Expose? the Scripture says God will not promote gossips, faultfinders, or busybodies. It’s been said that every person carries a bucket of gasoline and a bucket of water. When you hear gossip, rumors, or juicy information about someone, you can either pour gasoline on it and cause the fire to spread or you can pour water on it and help put out the fire. Too many people use their gasoline. But even if it’s true and what they did was wrong, “love covers a person’s faults.” Love doesn’t expose them, doesn’t tell five friends and put it on social media. The mercy you show others is the mercy that’s going to be shown to you. If you’re harsh, judgmental, and expose people’s failures, magnify their mistakes, that same judgment is going to come back to you. You may know things that are true and could make someone look bad, but that’s a test. Can God trust you t...

  A New Way of Living Scripture: Deuteronomy 17:16, NKJV “ But… the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’ ” (Deuteronomy 17:16, NKJV) 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 (explained in the book,  Kingdom  of God  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 co...

  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:11, NIV The Truth Struggle Some people say we’re in a power struggle with the enemy, but he was defeated by Jesus on the cross. You’re in a truth struggle. The only power the enemy has over you is the power you give him by believing his lies and deceptions. That’s why the Scripture says to recognize the enemy’s schemes. He starts with a little thought, a seed of doubt: “Your spouse doesn’t really love you.” “It’s okay to fudge on your taxes. It won’t hurt to do it one time.” The suggestions seem harmless, but if you dwell on them, they will lead to all kinds of detrimental things—brokenness, addictions, loneliness, lack. The enemy can be convincing, but you have the Spirit of God inside, the Spirit of truth who reveals the enemy’s lies, and you have the Word of God. When you ask God for wisdom and discernment, you’ll hear the still small voice inside alert you to things that are...

  Keep Moving! Scripture: Exodus 14:15, ESV “ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. ’” (Exodus 14:15, ESV) 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 ...

  It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. 1 Corinthians 4:3–4, MSG Does It Really Matter? It’s good to have a spouse who speaks faith into your life, a neighbor who cheers you on, a friend who encourages you. It’s healthy when you have people who make you feel valued and appreciated. But it becomes unhealthy if you start depending on them to make you feel good about who you are, if you lose your passion because someone’s not there to encourage you or someone doesn’t approve you and instead puts you down. We can become so dependent upon others’ approval that we base our value, our worth, on what they are telling us. That’s a codependent relationship. God didn’t create you to be dependent on someone else to keep you fixed. He uses people to bless and encourage you, but at some point they’ll let you down and can’t be there for you every time you have a difficulty or think you need them. As a child of God, you have His approval of w...

  Where’s Your Permanent Home? Scripture: Hebrews 11:16, NIV “ Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. ” (Hebrews 11:16, NIV) Being heavenly minded, but earthly sensitive, is a core principle in practicing  Kingdom  of God What does that mean? It means that we know we’re passing through this temporary world on the way to our permanent home in heaven. With that in mind, we make choices in light of investing the three Ts –  time, talent, and treasure  – for the advancement of God’s kingdom. Those who came before us did the same thing. Hebrews 11 lists people of faith who, from the beginning of time, chose to listen to God and guided their lives accordingly. The list included Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abram, and Moses. They willingly exchanged many of the temporary pleasures of this world so they could inherit the promises made to them by God. In faith, they l...

  ...those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing. Psalm 34:10, NLT You Lack Nothing Sometimes we see ourselves at a disadvantage. We think that if we just had more talent, more funds, more connections, or a better personality, we could accomplish greater things. As long as you see yourself as lacking, you’ll make excuses to settle where you are and be less than your best. But the psalmist says God has given you everything you need for your destiny—the wisdom, the confidence, the strength. He’s already lined up the right people, the good breaks, the resources. It’s already there. The question is, Are you discounting what He’s given you because it seems ordinary and you feel common? Here’s the key: You have to have faith in what God has given you. You don’t have to have great talent, a great education, or great resources to do something great. If you use what you have, God will breathe on it, and you’ll accomplish more than you thought possible. You can have an extraordinary ...