Tuesday, 28 July 2015

Embun




I took this pictures at Tanjung Aru. We conducted Family Day on Sunday. See that morning dew, it makes the grass looking fresh and beautiful. People made some parable about dew,

Like are dew in the morning,
Appear briefly
(It is refer to the something that is not last forever)

Nothing is last forever in our life. The material, wealthy, healthy, body, breath, and everything. Including our struggling, problem, burden, trouble and bitterness. It will be perish and vanish. 

But, one thing last forever is love. Time passing by but love is remain. Yesterday, today and forever, love is still the same. People died, people born, the love is still strong. Even tough, some one born from the bitterness and hatred, still love touch their heart. 

Because, God is love. He is love. He can touch everybody heart. His love is everlasting love. Never disappear. 

The question is, do we know that God loves us? Ask Him and He will show you how? 

Bless you. 



Monday, 27 July 2015

Small But Many (More Effective)

I see many people trying so hard to do the thing by themselves. Once, I think I can do it by myself. Without notice everyone. Do it in my way. Carry the weight by my own because I own it. Then, the burden dragged me to the ground and beat my knees to the ground. That is a hard time and I can’t tell it to anyone. One I think, I don’t want to be a parasite that absorb the others people energies. Second, pretend to be strong and firm – whereas, it was lame. Until the second time, I can’t hide the pain anymore. While I breathe the dust on the ground, my heart hoping for someone whose can save me. I had been saved before by God, but now, who can save me?



When I saw this picture, it reminds me about the hardest part of my life. The tree that I had been live on is God – my shelter and home.  I forgot that I growing up together with the others beside me. I live because they live. We are connected. If one of us dying, that means, we are close to the end – one by one disappear to the dust. We need each other and belong for each other, as we need the tree to survive. We live because the tree giving us a home to stay.  A ground to stand. Are friend that small but many – to help and live strong together. I remember – alone, you are weak, together you are strong.

The thing that we felt is small and useless. But when we put it together piece by piece, it can be a large puzzle. A puzzle that form a remarkable image. Seek all the small thing inside you and put it together, then you will see the miracle – It was you

When You Near Me

When you near me
I can be myself
Inside me
Your love is remain

You teach me
How to love
And how I can being

Thank you for everything
That you had done for me
You are really honestly
I love you 
For who you are 

Every day I feel alive
And breathing calmly
Because I know you 
Always beside me

Better than I thought
Every way that I take is because of you
Because I want to know you
And never let you go away
But stay

We walk along together
Through it all together 
Hold my hand
Don’t let me far away from you
I want to be with you 
Wherever and whenever 




Sense ME

I remember for the first time I met you
We share the secret of our life
Between us and around us
Sometimes we laugh
Sometimes we quiet
When there’s something in our heart is not done yet

Now,
When you know that I am blinded and weak
You starting to go outside
From this circle
And pull back your hand greet
I don’t even know where you going
I don’t even what you are doing
What I am doing is to trust you
Suspect you
All I do is because I expect you to sense me there

 I miss that time when we say hello for the first time
Fresh and innocent
But then,
In long time we are together
I realize it was so hard after all
The hardness and brokenness
Appear when we are close

Now,
It is time to go,
It is time to let go,
We are tired
We are cold
But still
I want to see you around; friend
Because I expect you to sense me more

Now or Never

Are you trying to hide yourself?
At the back door 
You are waiting 
For someone to open
And let you in

Are you holding back
your hand to grab the shoulder?
You wanted them to listen
And waiting for your expression 
Inside you a darken 
And you need a smile to lighten 

Guilty and awry
Blamed and accused 
Trapping in you heart
Couldn't say the word 
You are just stop and stare
Let's the wind
blowing them away

Stop...

Before sun going down
Just throw it all over
Before you regret 
Just let it out louder
Before you lose it now 
or never


9.29am
14.3.14
Friday

Tentang Kasih

Kasih itu sabar;
kasih itu murah hati;
Kasih itu berkongsi kegembiraan - tidak cemburu;
Kasih itu rendah hati- tidak memegahkan diri;
Kasih itu mesra - tidak sombong;
Kasih itu sopan dan mulia - tidak melakukan yang tidak sopan;
Kasih itu mengutamakan yang lain - tidak mencari keuntungan diri sendiri;
Kasih itu penyayang - tidak pemarah;
Kasih itu mengampuni dan melupakan - tidak menyimpan kesalahan orang lain;
Kasih itu adil dan benar - tidak bersukacita karena ketidakadilan, tetapi karena kebenaran;
Kasih itu melebihi segalanya - menutupi segala sesuatu;
Kasih itu percaya segala sesuatu;
Kasih itu berharap - mengharapkan segala sesuatu;
Kasih itu tenang - sabar menanggung segala sesuatu;
Kasih tidak berkesudahan;
Dahulu, sekarang dan selamanya
Kasih itu kekal

Cari Sampai Dapat

091013 Rabu

Kami bercadang mahu memindahkan perabot panjang yang berada di tengah pejabat ke bahagian depan pejabat. Saya, bos dan Mr Ed mula mengambil posisi masing-masing. Saya di bahagian tengah, bos dan Mr Ed di bahagian tepi. Walau bagaimanapun, perabot pejabat itu susah untuk diangkat kerana alas kaki perabot tersangkut di carpet biru. Akhirnya, ia terpakasa dibongkar. Kemudian, kami berjaya membawa perabot ke posisi depan. 

'Ah, pengubahsuaian ofis agak memenatkan dan menyusahkan  untuk bergerak'. Saya fikir. 

Sebab, sebenarnya, perabot tersebut sebelum ini memang berada di hadapan kemudian dipindahkan ke tengah, kemudian dipindahkan lagi ke hadapan. Dengan ruang yang semakin sempit. 

"Aik, mana kaki meja ni?" Saya dan Mr Ed cuba mencari di kawasan berhampiran. Ternyata kaki meja tersebut tertanggal. Kami menjumpainya. Tidak lama kemudian.

"Kaki meja satu lagi mana?" bos bertanya. Kami mencari lagi kaki meja yang entah hilang ke mana.
"Saya rasa mereka sudah buang," bos bercakap sendiri. Sepanjang hari ni saya agak berat mulut dan kurang bercakap. Hanya bos dan Mr Ed yang bercakap dengan bahasa yang saya kurang fahami. Apa pun, saya senang mendengar mereka berbicara walaupun tidak mengerti akan bahasa yang digunakan. Ya, lebih baik mendengar sahaja dan tidak perlu menganalisisnya. Kalau diterjemah ke dalam tulisan ia akan menjadi seperti ini:

Bos: sdjefu djf7878932 *%^$%gfiseub 
Mr Ed: fjeihgf93489b ry73uids 990349 ed7342 sasrjasriekf 

Seperti kod yang tidak diketahui, tetapi familiar untuk didengar. 

Sayang sekali kami tidak menjumpai kaki meja tersebut. Saya terus mencari sementara Mr Ed dan bos mula memasang semula perabot tadi. Di dalam hati saya fikir, saya mahu terus mencarinya.

'Mana tahu saya akan dapat balik.' 

Ke kiri, ke kanan, tengok bawah, tengok tepi. Tidak juga jumpa. Kemudian, saya cuba menyelidiki tempat perabot itu berada sebelum ini. Saya melihat bekas kaki meja ada 6 biji. Jadi, sememangnya orang yang mengubahsuai ofis kami tidak membuang kaki meja itu. Ya! Saya mendapatinya misteri. 

MISTERI KEHILANGAN KAKI MEJA. 
Saya terus mencari dan mencari di kawasan tempat pemindahan. Sambil itu, saya mengelap perabot yang lain. Saya fikir, saya seperti ibu saya yang tidak pernah berputus asa untuk mencari sesuatu yang hilang. Pernah sekali dia mencari barang kecil yang hilang dari petang sampai tengah malam. Sampai ayah saya berkata: 

"Sudah, sudahlah tu. Esok kamu cari lagi. Sekarang ni kita mahu tidur."
"Kamu jangan pedulikan saya. Tidur saja," mak membalas sambil membongkar laci-lacinya yang tidak jauh dari tempat tidur kami. 

Oh.. saya tidak dapat tidur masa itu sebab bunyi bising dari almari mak ditambahkan bunyi plastik yang dibuka. Dalam keadaan sunyi begitu, sambil mendengarkan rentak irama plastik yang agak kurang menyenangkan. 

Ya, saya seperti mak yang tidak berputus asa sehingga jumpa. Saya mula membuat satu konklusi, seperti Conan yang membuat andaian dalam penyiasatannya. Peristiwa ini seperti penyiasatan misteri yang sebenarnya bukan misteri. 

'Kalau mereka tidak buang, maksudnya, kaki meja itu masih ada.'
'Kalau mereka sudah buang, kenapa bekas di carpet ini menunjukkan bahawa kaki meja itu lengkap 6 biji?'
'Kalau begitu, kenapa saya susah mahu jumpa kaki meja itu tertanggal di atas lantai, macam yang satu lagi. Kenapa belum jumpa sampai sekarang!!!'

Kemudian, saya mengandai lagi, 

'Kalau kaki meja itu tidak tercicir di lantai atau tercicir di tempat yang kelihatan, kemungkinan besar ia tercicir di sudut yang tak kelihatan.' 

'Jeng, saya macam tahu di mana kaki meja itu berada.' Saya mula mengagak.

Saya mula beralih ke bahagian bawah meja, di celah-celah kami meja tersebut. Tiba-tiba, tangan saya tersentuh benda bulat. 

'Jeng, ini dia! Yei, saya berjaya menyelesaikan misteri ini.' 

Ketika bos siap memasang besi penyambung, saya memberikan kaki meja itu kepadanya. 

"Aik, kamu sudah jumpa," bos berkata.
"Ya, di bawah meja, terselit di sana," saya merasa gembira. 

Akhirnya, keputusan saya untuk tidak berputus asa pun berhasil. Sekurang-kurangnya, kami tidak perlu meletakkan alas yang lain di bawahnya. Lagipun, sekarang, meja itu nampaknya lengkap dan sempurna. Ia lebih stabil dan lebih mudah untuk diatur.

"Lain kali, kita jangan alihkan meja ni," bos menetapkannya sambil mengelap peluhnya. 

Kesimpulannya, kehilangan sesuatu adalah misteri. Tetapi bila kamu memiliki bukti, ia bukan misteri lagi tetapi adalah serpihan puzzle yang perlu disambungkan untuk mencapatkan gambaran penuh iaitu jawapan. Jika kamu tidak berputus asa kamu akan mendapatkannya, sama ada baik atau buruk keputusannya, yang penting, kamu merasa puas dengan usaha yang dilakukan. 

Jangan berhenti untuk mencari yang hilang... 



Love is Worth Than Understanding


It’s hard to understand people when they are closed to you. You are trying so hard to understand them – why are they act like that, what are they thinking, what are their hobbies, what presents they love, what they want,  what makes them happy, what makes them excited, what makes them smile and friendly with you. 

But it’s easy to love them. When you choose to love them for who they are. When you made a choice to express yourselves in simple way by loving them. Not trying to understand them. Human means to be loved not are subject to be understood. The more you trying to understand, the more you stress and confuse. That’s why, you don’t need to understand, just enough with loving. 




In conclusion, love is more than worth than understanding. Understanding is come when you start to love

Dream about Salvation

Night, full of awesome dream. Like a real feeling and exactly like it happen:

I'm looking towards a very large stage. A person who is testifying on stage, I feel very excited and listen diligently hear. However, what she said was not clearly audible. Then, she called me .

The person on the stage: "I want to invite someone who is very important for me to be on stage with me.I give this space to speak..my shepherd . "

I was pretty surprising that I respond on its own. I stand and I sees many peoples are there. What I realized then was that the person who invited that is named Aiza. Her face is not very clearl but I know he is a lamb of God being taught and grow.

While I'm still talking about the gospel of God, suddenly I felt something unusual happens and encourage us all to worship God. Then, the salvation happen all over the place. All the people rejoice! God does the signs and wonders when his name preach all over the place. I'm feeling very happy at the time and I do not know how this happened. It is exactly happened. Healing, miracles and signs happened. That's what I realized at the time. I am very impressed with the power of God tough I wonder how this happened. Those who witnessed were repent and be saved in the name of Jesus. Because of too many people there, both of us - me and Aiza - divided into two groups to pray for salvation at the time.

Then, the people who been rescued back to their homes and also testified about the signs and wonders that they see. People who heard the testimony in their village had been believed and safe. Every sign and wonder they heard, the testimony of their relatives have made their hearts believed and repented. Although, they do not see the signs and wonders, but their hearts are still in disbelief. They accept Jesus in their home with joy and blessed heart. They praise God because of His goodness, mercay and grace!

Suddenly, we were stand in a river and do water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. When the baptism occurred, the water suddenly became flood. However, I had told them, " Do not move from this place. Lets pray, I believe that God will do amazing things in this place. The water will be recede!" God answers our prayers, and then quickly once the water receded. Once again, miracles happen and people glorify God for the miraculous things that happened to the people who baptized by the name of Jesus Christ. Their relative who standing beside came too and accept Jesus. Then, they were baptized together with others.
Salvation not just happened to the others who saw the miracle happened, but also the storyteller and the witness to others. People that heard the testimonies come to believed the power of God and be saved. Their faith make them brave and accepted God in their life. The grace of God is in this place! Amen!

IT WILL BE HAPPEN! IN THE NAME OF JESUS ​​CHRIST! AMEN !

Mimpi Tentang Keselamatan

Malam yang penuh dengan mimpi yang menggerunkan. Seperti perasaan yang sebenar dan seperti ianya betul-betul terjadi:

Saya melihat ke arah pentas yang sangat besar. Seseorang yang sedang bersaksi di atas pentas tersebut, saya rasa sangat teruja dan mendengar dengar tekun. Walau bagaimanapun, apa yang dikatakannya tidak jelas didengar. Kemudian, dia memanggil saya.

Orang yang di atas pentas: "Saya ingin menjemput seorang yang sangat penting untuk saya berada di atas pentas bersama dengan saya. Saya memberikan ruang ini untuk gembala saya berucap."
Yang agak menghairankan saya ialah saya respon dengan sendirinya. Saya angkat dan melihat ramai sekali orang berada di bawah pentas. Apa yang saya sedar ketika itu ialah orang yang menjemput itu adalah bernama Aiza. Wajahnya tidak begitu jelas tetapi saya tahu dia adalah domba Tuhan yang menjadi diajar dan bertumbuh.

Ketika saya masih lagi bercakap mengenai Injil Tuhan, tiba-tiba saya merasakan sesuatu yang luar biasa terjadi dan mendorong semua kami untuk menyembah Tuhan. Kemudian, ketika itu ramai yang diselamatkan. Ramai yang bergembira. Tuhan melakukan tanda dan mukjizat saat memberitakan nama-Nya. Perasaan saya ketika itu sangat gembira dan saya tidak tahu bagaimana ini terjadi. Ianya seperti betul-betul terjadi. Penyembuhan, mukjizat dan tanda-tanda terjadi. Itu yang saya sedari ketika itu. Saya merasa sangat kagum walaupun kehairan dengan kuasa Tuhan. Mereka yang menyaksikan hal itu telah bertobat dan diselamatkan dalam nama Yesus. Oleh kerana terlampau ramai orang, kami berdua - saya dan Aiza - berbahagi kepada dua kumpulan untuk berdoa bagi keselamatan ketika itu.

Kemudian, orang yang diselamatkan itu pergi ke rumah masing-masing dan bersaksi pula tentang tanda dan mukjizat yang mereka saksikan. Orang yang mendengar kesaksian di kampung mereka telah menjadi percaya dan beriman. Setiap tanda dan mukjizat yang mereka dengar dari kesaksian saudara-saudari mereka telah membuatkan hati mereka percaya dan mahu bertobat. Meskipun, mereka tidak melihat tanda dan mukjizat, tetapi hati mereka tetap percaya. Mereka menerima keselamatan di rumah masing-masing dengan hati yang gembira. Mereka memuji Tuhan akan segala kebaikan-Nya

Tiba-tiba kami berada di sebuah sungai dan melakukan baptisan air dalam nama Yesus Kristus. Ketika pembaptisan itu terjadi, tiba-tiba air menjadi bah dengan cepat sekali. Walau bagaimanapun, saya telah menyatakan dengan percaya kepada mereka, "Jangan berganjak dari tempat ini. Mari berdoa, saya percaya Tuhan akan melakukan perkara yang luar biasa di tempat ini. Air ini pasti akan surut!" Tuhan menjawab doa kami, dan kemudian dengan cepat sekali air surut. Sekali lagi mukjizat terjadi sehingga orang memuliakan Allah akan perkara ajaib untuk orang yang mahu dibaptiskan. Saudara  mereka yang berada di tempat itu pun datang ke tengah sungai dan menerima Yesus. Kemudian, mereka turut dibaptiskan secara langsung di sana bersama dengan yang lain.

Yang menyaksikan bukan hanya setakat percaya dan diselamatkan, tetapi juga menjadi pencerita dan kesaksian kepada yang lain. Yang mendengar menjadi percaya akan kuasa Tuhan dan diselamatkan. Imanlah yang membuat mereka berani dan menerima Tuhan. Kasih Karunia Tuhan ada ditempat itu! Amen!
IA PASTI AKAN TERJADI! DALAM NAMA YESUS KRISTUS! AMEN!

Friday, 31 October 2014

Success By The Supernatural

Open Heavens Daily Devotion by Pastor E. A. Adeboye
Sunday October 26

SUCCESS BY THE SUPERNATURAL

Memorise:
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Proverbs 4:18

Read: Isaiah 1:18–19

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
Message

How do you live great and die great? How does a person experience good success in perpetuity? It is by drawing upon the supernatural for good success. How does a man do this? The first thing to do is to know God, the Author of success.

The first step to knowing God is to know who you are as a human being. The scriptures confirms that man is the epitome of God’s creation (Genesis 1:27). Man is a great being because He was made in the image of God. You should however know that all men have sinned, and the wages of sin is death. In the area of sin, man is helpless because he cannot save himself. Only Jesus, who is God that came in the form of man, can save man from sin. Man can only experience smooth fellowship with God when he is delivered from sin. The second step to knowing God is to confess your weaknesses, short-comings, failures and misdemeanours to God. After this, repent whole-heartedly and accept God’s salvation. It is not enough to know God. Whoever will draw upon the supernatural for good success should love God. Loving God is crucial in your bid to experience good success. You should love God because He first loved you. In addition to loving God, you should endeavour to please Him. When a man’s way pleases God, the Almighty will cause even his enemies to be at peace with Him. You should also fellowship with God. One of the main reasons for the creation of man was God’s desire for fellowship. You enjoy fellowship with God when you enter His gates with sincere thanksgiving as His child. Recognise the Name of Jesus and call on Him. You should pay your vows, which includes dealing thoroughly with sins. To remain in fellowship with God, you should never usurp His glory. Speak constantly to the Father in the Spirit and glorify Jesus through the Spirit. Proper fellowship produces great results, such as divine provision, divine protection, divine prosperity and divine promotion. Added to fellowship is asking. Whoever will draw upon the supernatural for good success should learn to ask God for success through prayers and fasting. Thanksgiving is also crucial to this experience. As a Christian who wishes to experience good success always, you should give thanks always. Let your thanksgiving outnumber your requests. Thank God for who He is, what He has done, who you are, what you have and for what you will have.

Action Point:
Thanksgiving is crucial to drawing upon the supernatural for good success. Spend quality time in thanksgiving to God today.

Create With Your Words

Leverage daily devotional by pastor segun obadje.                                        Sunday, October 26
CREATE WITH YOUR WORDS
Mark 11:22-23; Proverbs 18:21

Hebrews 11:3 "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."" God did not create man to live at the mercy of people nor situations and circumstances. Man was born of God a king to rule and reign over all the earth,  the birds of the air, the fishes in the oceans, the animals that creep on the earth and the entire plant kingdom. Everything God made was at man's mercy, not the other way round. God made man like Himself. God rules by His Word. His words are decrees; His orders are laws. Man was made a king like God to rule by his decrees. He was made with the capacity to command a thing and see it materialize in no time. Man was made in the image and in the likeness of God (Gen.1:26). The first man fell from that prestigious place. Jesus came as his substitute and rescued mankind from corruption. Now, you can rule your world with the spoken Word. In Christ Jesus, we have been restored back to dignity and power. Too few of us have realized that our words create our world. The realities that are before you today were created by the words you spoke yesterday. You can chart your course in life by the words you speak. In Christ Jesus, you are a king, and your words carry power. You shouldn't speak empty, idle, inactive words. You should carefully select your words by wisdom, such that when you see what you said, you'll be glad. Beloved, speak what you believe and see it leap into being for you. Create your world with your words. You can enjoy life as a king, not as a beggar who lives life at the mercy of other people.

Other Scriptures for Meditation: Genesis 1:1-3; Genesis 1:26

My Solid Front (Confession)
In the Name of Jesus, as one made in the likeness of God, I declare that I am blessed beyond measure. I declare that I am more than a conqueror and I always triumph in all sphere of life. Amen

The Sheild of Faith

Leverage daily devotional by pastor segun obadje.                                                          Saturday, October 25
THE SHIELD OF FAITH
Hebrews 11:33-34; 1 John5:4

Ephesians 6:16 "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked". Faith is not only a weapon of attack but also of defense. Our opening scripture reveals that faith is a shield; it uses the expression "shield of faith". What does it shield from? It shields from the fiery darts of the wicked one, that is, the devil and all his demonic hosts. This not only reveals the importance of faith but also its potency. Faith is indispensable and inevitable in our walk with God and in our spiritual combat. Faith is absolute confidence in God through His Word that makes the heart come to rest in His faithfulness, such that one speaks, thinks and acts the Word unconsciously. This is amazing, isn't it? This is the confidence faith in God breeds that immunes you to all (note the word, ALL) the fiery darts of the wicked. Faith in God can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; not some, but absolutely all. This brings to mind the limitlessness of faith in adequately dealing with all, magnitude and type notwithstanding, the fiery darts of the wicked. The Word tells us in Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". We have confidence in God based on His Word that He is our secret place of safety and that we're in Christ, the Solid Rock of Ages; and we are thinking in line, talking in line and acting in line with this truth of God's Word. Beloved, you may not be able to stop the enemy from throwing his fiery darts, but you can always stop ALL his fiery darts from reaching you by engaging the shield of faith, which is absolute confidence in God based on His Word. Don't think like or talk like or act like God is not for you. Never doubt His love and support for you. Don't remove the shield of faith.

Other Scriptures for Meditation: Job 22:25 Psalm 94:22

My Solid Front (Confession)
In the Name of Jesus, I declare that, by the protective shield of faith I am impregnable by all the fiery darts of the devil. Amen.

The Bread Of Life

The Leverage daily devotional by pastor segun obadje                                                    Friday, October 24
THE BREAD OF LIFE
Proverbs 4:20-22; John 1:1-3

: Matthew 4:4 "But he answered and said, it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God"". Bread is a term which stands for food in Scriptures. It depicts the substance of sustenance. Natural bread sustains natural life, while spiritual bread sustains spiritual life. The Word of God is the bread of spiritual life. Man is essentially a spirit being whose spirit substance needs to be sustained consistently. Jesus said in John 6:63, "it is the spirit that gives life the word I speak unto you are spirit and life"". The spirit of man is sustained and energized by the Word of God. Light and understanding for progress comes to man through his spirit by the Word of God. Man lives by the Word of God. Our sustenance and nourishment comes from God's Word. A famished spirit that is starved of God's Word cannot function effectively in the realm of the God-kind. We have to be well fed with God's Word to realize all the possibilities and realities of the life of God in us. Beloved, feed your spirit with God's Word through meditating, confessing and acting on God's Word. Live by the Word of God daily.

Other Scriptures for Meditation: Colossians 3:16; Joshua 1:8

My Solid Front (Confession)
In the Name of Jesus, The Word of God is food for my spirit, I consistently depend on God's word for my well-being, I live by the Word. Amen.

Wednesday, 29 October 2014

Turning Weakness Into Blessings

Open Heavens Daily Devotion by Pastor E. A. Adeboye
Friday October 24

TURNING WEAKNESSES INTO BLESSINGS

Memorise:
And said unto him, hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
Matthew 21:16

Read: Exodus 4:10–12

10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?
12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
Message

Our God is a God of miracles. He moves in mysterious ways and He still calls people to His side today. Many people have the call of God on their life but do not know. Some people believe they are too weak to be used of God, while some others, who are already in a position of service, are facing frustration or even failure. God is not the author of confusion. He calls His own into blessings and glory. There are times in the service of God when we have to move, and there are other times when we have to wait patiently for His move. Proverbs 3:5 says:
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
Are you weak and confused? Trust in the Lord. God has not forgotten the weak. When God calls a person to His service, He doesn’t chose Him on the basis of how clever, talented or educated he is (1 Corinthians 1:26). God had to strip Paul of all his pride vis-à-vis his qualifications, status and achievements before sending him to the ignorant and outcast people called Gentiles (Philippians 3:8). Paradoxically, God used the ignorant and unlearned Peter in proclaiming the Good News to the elite Jews of the Roman Empire (Acts 2:5&14). The good news about weaknesses is that, the Holy Spirit is available to qualify for God’s service, the weak who puts his or her trust in the Lord.

To turn weakness to strength, you should be meek and humble. This does not imply that you should give in to a sense of inferiority complex, self-pity, self-hatred or self-consciousness (2 Corinthians 12:10). Weaknesses and inadequacies can become blessings if they press us to depend on Christ (2 Corinthians 12:9). Another step to turning your weaknesses to strength is to exchange your strength for His strength. To do this, you must acknowledge your weaknesses, limitations and great need for God. You must also present yourself as a living sacrifice to Him (Romans 12:1). Learn to wait on God (Isaiah 40:31). Patiently wait for His time. Ensure that you do not take any major decisions or major actions until He shows you that it is time to act (Luke 24:49). Don’t get ahead of God, neither should you lag behind Him. Wait patiently on Him in prayer and fasting (Psalm 69:6). Spend quality time each day to read the Bible and to pray. Finally, you should develop a strong devotional habit and expect opposition and trials. You should know that when you try to go deeper and higher with God, the world, your human nature and demonic principalities will oppose you.

Key Point:
When you wait patiently on the Lord, He purges the dross of sin and flesh away from you and His power begins to work in you and through you, with supernatural results.

Answering A Missionary Call

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: THURSDAY 23 OCTOBER 2014

THEME: ANSWERING A MISSIONARY CALL

MEMORISE: And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. Mark 16:20

READ: ACTS 13:1–5

1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 KINGS 4-6 and PROVERBS 15:25-16:5

MESSAGE

Missions can be defined as God specifically sending a person to reach the unreached for him. The unreached are those people who have not heard the gospel sufficiently enough to be taken over for Christ. The sender is God, and the personality sent is the missionary. The unreached can be within the environment of the missionary or in faraway lands. A Call is imperative for missionary work. The missionary call is just like any other call to Christian service. Many people have shipwrecked their lives because they were not sure of God’s call upon their life. If you are sure of God’s call upon your life, you will not be tossed to and fro by all shades of doctrine. Being called to be a missionary is by God’s grace; it does not follow a stereotyped style. Factors underlying God’s call include acknowledging and receiving a claim of ownership by Christ. You must acknowledge divine ownership upon your life and develop an understanding of God’s will and have the willingness to do it. You should also develop sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s voice by having an open mind, an attentive ear and a pure heart. In addition, you should be active in God’s service. A missionary call does not necessarily come through a special revelation. The call can come through a casual remark by a friend or neighbour about the heathen. It can be through a letter received from a missionary or through reading extracts from an article, book or periodical. It can be through a hymn, an anointed message, counselling from an anointed leader or through divinely orchestrated circumstances. Are you prepared to answer the missionary call?

A missionary should be physically fit to withstand adverse situations such as mosquitoes, bad climates, diseases, poor public sanitation and poor medical services. Also, a prospective missionary should at least be at the level of his or her audience. In other words, a missionary must be adequately educated to reach the highest of all the educated folks in the mission field and should be able to meet and discuss with other missionaries at their level. To excel as a missionary, you need a charming personality that is emotionally stable. You should also be able to adapt to the culture and food of other people. There is equally the need for you to be patient and persevering. A missionary should be versatile. He or she should also be submissive to God, the mission board and to his or her superior officers. Finally, whoever wishes to be a missionary should have a thorough experience of salvation, sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

ACTION POINT:

For success on the field, every missionary should ask for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and ask for these gifts now.

Wield The Sword Of The Spirit

The Leverage daily devotional by Pastor Segun Obadje
Thursday, October 23.                   WIELD THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT
Acts 19:20; Hebrews 4:12

Ephesians 6:17 "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" The Word tells us that the Word of God is the sword of the recreated human spirit. Our warfare is not carnal; our weapons of warfare are not carnal, either. The Word tells us in Ephesians 6:12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places". Seeing that our warfare and weapon of warfare are not carnal, we must learn to engage our spiritual weapons. The Word teaches that the sword of the recreated human spirit is the Word of God, that is, our weapon of attack against the enemy is the Word of God. Beloved, the Word of God cannot be engaged without speaking it. In engaging the Word in spiritual battle, we put it in our lips of faith and speak it boldly and loudly against all the fiery darts of the wicked. It is the Word in the lips of faith that's potent and active. The Word declares in Acts 19:20 "So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed". In the city of Ephesus, the Word grew mightily and prevailed. It was the spoken, proclaimed Word that grew mightily and prevailed. The Word in the pages of the bible cannot prevail in your situation until you begin to speak and proclaim it boldly in faith. This is what it means to wield the sword of the spirit. The Word is projected through your lips as a potent weapon of victory as you speak it boldly in faith. It is so beautiful and refreshing to know that the Word happens when you speak it. It is what we say in faith of what God has said concerning us that will prevail in our situation. Wield the sword of the spirit!

Other Scriptures for Meditation: Romans 10:8-10; 2 Corinthians 4:13

My Solid Front (Confession)
In the Name of Jesus, I wield the sword of the spirit by projecting from my lips the word of Faith and I prevail by speaking the word of faith today. Amen

You Are Not Alone

The Leverage daily devotional by Pastor Segun Obadje
Wednesday, October 22
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
Psalms 37:28; Matthew 28:20

Hebrews 13:5 "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."" One of the greatest fears that have plagued the human race is the fear of loneliness. People are afraid to be left alone without anyone committing to them in love to bear their burdens. Many enter into wrong relationships for the fear of being lonely. However, God has given unto us His ever present presence. This is worth more than heaven and earth. The Believer does not have to think of a possible moment of being lonely. Even in the face of daunting situations and circumstances that threaten, you must remember God's Word to you. "I will never leave you nor forsake you"" (Heb. 13:5); and again in Matthew 28:20 "and,lo, I am with you."" God is with you, now. God's presence with us guarantees constant success on every ground of life's combats. We are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us. Every resource of heaven is at our reach because God is with us. We have the final say in all matters of life because God is with us. Beloved, do not shiver or quiver, because God is with you, and He will always put you on top of every situation you face in life. Remind yourself that God is with you and therefore you are not alone, and because of His sure presence you can leap over every challenging situation.

Other Scriptures for Meditation: Psalms 94:14; Psalms 37:25

My Solid Front (Confession)
In the Name of Jesus, I acknowledge that I am not alone in this world, God is with me because He promised never to forsake me. Amen

Ready For Great Harvest

Open Heavens Daily Devotion by Pastor E. A. Adeboye
Wednesday October 22

READY FOR THE GREAT HARVEST?

Memorise:
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Matthew 28:19

Read: Acts 13:38–39

38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Message

Our God has so many wonderful attributes. Some of these attributes, such as omnipotence, omnipresence and being omniscient are unique to Him alone. There are other attributes which God as a wonderful Father, shares with His children. These include holiness, mercy and love. God is love. John 3:16 says:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
One of the ways God demonstrated His love to mankind was by making adequate provision for salvation (1 John 1:8-9). As a child of God, you can demonstrate the love of God to the world through evangelism and missions. The term ‘evangelism’ denotes sharing good news from a loving God to a lost world. The Great Commission is binding on all Christians (Matthew 28:18-20). The need to fulfil this mandate is ever so urgent, especially with the imminent return of our Lord. Every child of God is called to be a “reaper”. Are you ready for the great harvest? As a child of God, you are expected to rightly divide the word of truth. There is no geographical limitation or racial restrictions to fulfilling the Great Commission (Mark 13:10, Acts 1:8).

To be actively involved in evangelism, it is required that you wisely utilise the different opportunities that present themselves to you in the course of your daily business, without appearing to be over-bearing. With the power of the Holy Spirit and the wisdom of God, even a newly born-again Christian can win souls on a continuous basis. Soul winning is one of the reasons God retained you on earth, and you should be particular about it. As a Christian, you can do effective evangelism in the vehicle you board, at social gatherings, birthday celebrations and send-off parties. You can also engage in hospital visitations to pray for the sick, give them provisions, befriend them – especially if they feel lonely and poor, preach salvation through Jesus Christ to them and bring Bibles and good Christian literature for them to read. You can also be involved in prison visitation. You can visit prisoners, write letters to them, send them good reading materials and give them gifts with the permission of the authorities. Other ways in which you can be involved in evangelism include, placing illustrated gospel tracts on your table after eating in a restaurant, around school campuses, on bus-stop benches and in departmental stores as you buy or sell. Additionally, you can be involved in house-to-house evangelism. Are you ready?

Action Point:
Make evangelism a habit, because it is uppermost on God’s heart.

You Don't Have The Spirit Of Fear

The Leverage daily devotional by Pastor Segun Obadje
Tuesday, October 21
YOU DON'T HAVE THE SPIRIT OF FEAR
Romans 8:15; Hebrews 2:14-15

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" The above scripture opens with an emphatic revelation of God's will for the believer. It says God hasn't given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind. This is powerful. God hasn't given us the spirit of fear, which means we don't have the spirit of fear because God hasn't given it to us. You don't want to have what God didn't give you, do you? No, you don't. If He hasn't given you the spirit of fear, then you don't have it. Period! Fear is of the devil; it is not of God. God ministers faith to us, not fear. God's Word ministers faith to us, not fear. Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." When you hear God, faith rises within you; but when you hear the devil, fear is the result. Knowing that fear is of the devil gives the believer every right and confidence to resist fear whenever it comes to overwhelm him. Refuse to be afraid. Refuse to let the devil harass you with fear and inferiority. You can resist him and he and his fear will flee from you. The Word declares in James 4:7 that, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you". You are the one to resist the devil, not God. Don't wait for God to come down and resist him for you. He's given you the authority in His Name to put him on the run. Beloved, anytime fear comes knocking at your door, say: "In the Name of Jesus Christ, I resist you, and I refuse to cave in to you. I am not of fear; I am of God. God hasn't given me the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind"". Hallelujah! This is bible faith at work!

Other Scriptures for Meditation: Proverbs 28:1; Hebrews 13:5-6

My Solid Front (Confession)
In the Name of Jesus, I declare that God hasn't given me the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of sound mind. Amen