DON'T LIVE IN IGNORANCE !

The problem with the Body of Christ is ignorance, and the devil loves it when you are ignorant. 

"Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.""Isaiah 5:13 (KJV)

He doesn't care whether you are in church 24/7. Until you understand who you are and what you carry, he is not afraid of you. Ignorance will cheat you out of your right, it will disqualify you and keep you hungry in the midst of plenty. 

Ignorance of what is available to you will rob you of all that Jesus died for. The fact that you are a believer has set you apart from the world; that was why Jesus said you are in the world but not of the world (John 15:19; John 17:16). Since you are not of the world, you cannot be ruled by the laws that govern the world, you belong to a higher realm. So when they are saying that there is a casting down, you will be saying that there is a lifting. Why? It is because your case is different, but if you remain ignorant, you will suffer the same thing with the world, which is not the will of God for you.

A whole lot of believers have been robbed of their blessings by reason of ignorance. To underscore the importance of knowledge in our walk with God, Paul prays to the church in Ephesus saying: "... making mention of you in my prayers; ....the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, .." (Ephesians 1:16-19 KJV) Ignorance or lack of knowledge will rob you of your colourful destiny. 

Refuse to be ignorant by studying the word and walking in the light that God has made available to you. Find out what belongs to you and appropriate it and you will see the result in Jesus' name.

Further reading: Colossians 1:9-14Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Numbers 23-25; Evening- Mark 7:14-37

YOU WILL REIGN HERE ON EARTH

 You are designed and packaged to reign over sickness, over disease, over pains, over agony, over frustration, over discouragement, over intimidation, over fear and over death.

"And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:10 KJV)

The book of Romans 5:17 says: "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ."

There, Paul is telling us what will enable us reign in life here on earth,not when we get to heaven.

 You are probably thinking that it is only in heaven you are going to reign, but the word of God says we are going to reign here on earth. You don't need a car, house, husband or wife in heaven. This is because when you get there you will be preoccupied by one person, Jesus.

Every eye will be focused on him and beholding his beauty from eternity to eternity. It will never end because every aspect of him is beautiful. That is why the angels keep on saying, holy, holy, holy. You will spend eternity beholding his unending beauty such that you will have no need for a house or gold. In fact, the gold you are wearing here is counterfeit compared to what obtains there. In heaven the streets are paved with gold, not of this earth but that which God himself fashioned.

Whilst you are still alive, God intends that you reign over the circumstances of your life. You are meant to reign over all negative things. But this is predicated on you receiving the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness he has given. You have to receive righteousness as a gift. It is not about what you did or didn't do. When you receive it then you can reign.

Through knowledge shall the just be delivered. Go and reign in all your endeavours in Jesus name, Amen.

Credits: BISHOP MIKE OKONKWO

Further Reading: Romans 5:12-21, 1:16-17
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Leviticus 19-20; Evening- Matthew 27:51-66

LET GOD FIX IT FOR YOU

Brethren, let the specialist do it for you.

"Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it". (1 Thessalonians 5:24 KJV)

A man was complaining bitterly to God about his life and saying, Lord why are you doing this to me? All these years I have served and committed myself to you and heaven was silent. One day the man came by his window and was looking outside and he saw a bird which came and fluttered its feathers and one of them fell off. When it fell, the bird suddenly flew away. Then God said to the man, go and pick the feather, look for the bird and fix it back. He responded and said how am I going to do that? Where am I going to find the bird? Then God said to him: "So also can you not fix your challenge, leave it in my hands because I specialize in fixing challenges."

  He is faithful and he loves you so much. He will do it! One of the things I have learnt lately is to take my hands off and let God be God. One assurance I am giving you is that you will surely testify. Just as you cannot fix back a feather that fell out of a bird, so you cannot fix anything back into your life. You cannot lay hold if you cannot let go. Keep on serving and looking up to God and he will give you a testimony.

Look at Jephthah for example, his brothers who did not understand the workings of God threw him out of their father's house because he was the son of a harlot. But when God was through with him, elders had to go and beg him to come back home. Jephthah had to determine how much he was going to be paid in order to be their captain. I declare to you by the authority of heaven, by reason of God's investment in your life, you are going to show up. You are going to manifest! The purpose of God upon your life will be revealed. Your days of frustration are over! You will not end up a minus or a disappointment. 

You will end up in the place of glory and you will rise from glory to glory.

Further Reading: Matthew 6:25-33, 1Peter 5:7
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Leviticus 4-5; Evening- Matthew 24:29-51

WHEN YOU CAN NOT TRACE GOD, TRUST HIM

Trust in God because he always got your back.

 God works in ways that are mysterious.

 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding"(Proverbs 3:5 KJV)

 Sometimes God hides you, so as to make you appear later. When he hides you, don't struggle to come out. Stay hidden because he knows the exact time for you to appear.

 What good would it have been for Joseph to come out before Pharaoh dream't? It was good for Joseph to be hidden in the prison where they believed he was a criminal but in God's realm he was being hidden by God.

Jephthah was hidden by God, waiting for when the battle will be fierce in Gilead. Meanwhile in Gilead, they thought that Jephthah was already dead because no one believed in him. Though no one believed in him, God knew he was hiding him. And the scripture says in the process of time they heard in Gilead that there was a man called Jephthah and the guy was doing exploits. The news went round and they asked which Jephthah is that? And they were told that it was Jephthah the son of the Gileadite, the same guy they threw away because his mother was a harlot.

Sometimes it is difficult to trace God in adversity. When that happens just switch on to trust. To trust is to be totally committed to God even when you do not understand. It is saying I am committed even though I do not understand why. Even when you have the power to bring me out yet you leave me in there, but I will trust you. That is what Job meant when he said, though he slays me, yet will I trust him. I know my redeemer lives. When he has tried me I will come forth as gold. All the days of my life will I wait. I don't know when or how but there is something I have settled in my spirit, my change will come. Keep standing! 

Your story will change.

Further Reading: Proverb 3:5 - 8, Psalms 91:1 - 16Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Leviticus 1-3; Evening- Matthew 24:1-28

TAKE AWAY YOUR FOCUS FROM THE DEVIL

  God does not react. It is the devil that reacts.

"Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him" (Judges 11:3 KJV)


Today, I want to let you into a secret you must never forget as long as you live. 

Anytime you see the devil roaring around you know that the Lord has scored a number for you.

Why was he after male babies after Moses was born? The reason is because Moses, the deliverer of the Israelite was born and he was looking for him. But God kept him safe right in the camp of the enemy. Why did he kill children two years and below after Jesus the savior of the whole world was given birth to? It was because there was an announcement that a king was already born. Therefore, anytime the devil is roaring around you, don't focus on him, simply find out what God has done that the devil is reacting to.

It is the same reason the devil was raging in the life of Jephthah. You must understand that Jephthah did not know these things because he did not have the Bible at that time. All he knew was that his brothers suddenly threw him out of the home he had always known. But I love what Jephthah did; he realized that if he became bitter, he would not fulfill the purpose of God. This is where a lot of people miss it. Instead of growing bitter, he looked at what God had deposited in him. The Bible says that in the land of Tob where he fled to, he believed and trusted God and all the vagabonds came to him and he became captain over them.

"And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel." (Judges 11:4 KJV) No one was able to lead them in the battle. They then heard that the young man they drove away was doing exploits. I declare to you today that those who want you dead, who said you will never succeed, those who have written you off will hear of you and surrender to you in Jesus name.

Credits: Bishop Mike Okonkwo.

Further Reading: 1 Samuel 22:1 - 4, 1 Chronicles 11:10 - 47 Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Exodus 39-40; Evening- Matthew 23:23-39

GOD HAS MARKED YOU FOR A LIFTING

You may be passing through a difficult time right now because God has marked you for a lifting.

"Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them...." (Judges 11:11 KJV)

The bible introduced Jephthah to us as a mighty man of valour but noted that he was the son of a harlot. He was a product of his father's mess and as such the mother was not living with the father. According to the Jewish tradition Jephthah could not inherit his father's property, because the Bible says the son of a harlot cannot come into the congregation unto the third generation.

This young man was born but it looked as though he had no future and nobody was ready to speak for him. And so, one day, his half-brothers got up and said to him you shall not inherit our father's property with us because, you are the son of a harlot. When this was happening, the prophetic hand of God was already pointing at Jephthah for a lifting. When God's appointed time finally came, the elders of Gilead brought him back, and made him "head and captain over them". In the same place where he was abused and ridiculed, there he was lifted and celebrated.

This is your moment. You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, a holy nation, set aside to show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

You will not be disappointed. The hand of God will manifest in your life. No matter what the devil may do, you will get there. 

You are going to sing your song, bake your cake, light your candle, dance your dance and no devil can stop you.

Further Reading: Judges 11:1 - 11, Romans 8:28 Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Exodus 31-33; Evening- Matthew 22:1-22

YOUR DEFINING MOMENT HAS COME

Now is your defining moment!

"For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease." (Job 14:7 KJV)

  However, it is always difficult to believe that God is working on your behalf when all things have turned haywire. Everyone can believe when everything is alright but the time comes when there is nothing to believe. A time when it looks as though it will never work and you are about to give up hope, yet you have to keep on believing. That is where the rubber meets the road. I don't know who is reading this right now but I hear the spirit of God say this is your defining moment. The hour has come for the hand of God to be manifested in your life.

It is so easy for people to begin to define you based on where you are. But the truth is that you cannot write off someone who is still sitting under the word of God, no matter how bad his/her case may be. The book of Job tells us that you can cut down a tree and it can even become dried up but as long as the stump perceives the scent of water, it will sprout. This is because God does not work the way we work. I found out that according to God's calculation, God's timing starts at night, not in the day. It is man that starts in the day. God starts in the night. When man has tried everything and failed, God then steps into the situation.

Don't write off yourself. Don't you understand that it can only be God? He can take you from nothing to something because some things about you have already been concluded and perfected in eternity. The devil cannot undo in time what God has perfected in eternity. The devil may be dancing around but he cannot change it because God perfected and secured it. 

Your future is colourful.

Further Reading: Job 14:7-9, Isaiah 55:1 - 13
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Exodus 29-30; Evening- Matthew 21:23-46