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.

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