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

  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...

  Where’s Your Permanent Home? Scripture: Hebrews 11:16 “ 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) 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 looked for...

  So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people….So make for yourself an ark of cypress wood.” Genesis 6:13–14 Unprecedented Favor Noah heard God say to build a 450-foot long ark, but it didn’t make sense. A flood had never happened before. Noah was undoubtedly the talk of the region. “That crazy fool is spending his life building a gigantic boat. He says God is going to make it rain and cover the earth, but He’s going to spare Noah and his family and two of every kind of animal.” Noah didn’t let the naysayers cause him to doubt. He knew they hadn’t heard what he heard. He just kept building, kept announcing it, kept thanking God for His favor. God is going to put things in your spirit that no one in your family may have ever experienced. When you’re believing for what God has said, the enemy will use people to plant doubt and negativity. “Do you really think that’s possible? I just don’t see how.” Don’t let them talk you out of the healing, promotion, influence, and...

  Be Sure to Pray! Scripture: Isaiah 37:14–15 “ Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord. ” (Isaiah 37:14-15) I heard someone say that it takes three things to accomplish the purposes of God in this world: prayer, leadership, and money. Often, in our haste to do things or to “do” ministry, we forget to pray for God’s blessing and direction. This is a big mistake. Hezekiah , after receiving a threat to his kingdom from the King of Assyria, took the letter defining the threat, went to the temple, spread it out before the Lord, and prayed about the problem. In response, God moved in a miraculous way and destroyed the enemy. The power to change, the power to overcome obstacles, the power to overcome sin, and the power to defeat the evil one is sourced in Almighty God. We are told to boldly come to the throne of Grace to receive mercy, and to find help in the...

  GOD’s angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray. Psalm 34:7 A Circle of Protection One angel in the Old Testament defeated an enemy army of 185,000 soldiers in one night. When the prophet Elisha’s house was surrounded by a Syrian army, the hills surrounding them were full of powerful warring angels with chariots of fire. When Satan wanted to test Job’s faith, he had to ask God for permission because God had put a hedge of protection around Job. You may have big obstacles surrounding you. Depression, addictions, and people are trying to stop you. It feels like you’re stuck. We have to ask God to open our eyes and let us see that He’s surrounding what’s surrounding us. You’re not doing life alone. In the unseen world right now, you have powerful warring angels surrounding you. Psalm 91 says that when you honor God with your life, He will command His angels to watch over you. You may be surrounded by trouble, but that trouble is surrounded by the Most High. Keep d...

  Feel Insignificant? Scripture: Judges 6:15 “’ Pardon me, my lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.’”  (Judges 6:15) It’s easy to feel insignificant or lost in this large, dynamic world. But sometimes, that very insignificance plays a key role in building God’s kingdom. Gideon  was the least in his family, and his clan was the weakest. God had a purpose for this. He wanted the people to realize that  God  was going to be the deliverer, and not the power and strength of the people themselves. Paul  said that he would boast of his weaknesses so the power of Christ could rest on him. Paul also said that God chose the weak things of the world to shame the wise. Jesus  used the two fish and five loaves of a young boy to feed 5,000 people. These examples could indicate that being “weak” makes us the kind of vessel God can use to facilitate the marvelous works he is doing in our...

  Then Samson prayed to the LORD, “Sovereign LORD, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time. With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.” Judges 16:28 Something Sacred Samson’s birth was prophesied. He was called to deliver his people before his birth. He was given supernatural strength, something sacred. He knew God’s hand was on him, but he started hanging around the wrong people. Instead of protecting and using what God had entrusted him with, he didn’t take seriously what God had given him and compromised. He played around with his talent and potential, and he eventually lost it. This once powerful man, who was prophesied to do great things, ended up blinded and chained by enemies. Yet even though he mishandled his calling, God gave him another chance, giving him the strength to push the middle pillars of a temple, collapsing the building and killing more enemies in his death than he had during his lifetime. If you don’t s...