be the change that you want in the world

BE THE CHANGE THAT YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD
Always try to be the best that you can be. Every body wants the world to become a better place, but majority of us are guilty of not doing the right thing. let the change start from you. Stop criticizing others when you are guilty of another. maybe even worse than who you criticize.

BE THE CHANGE THAT YOU WANT THE WORLD TO BE

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the best is yet to come

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stuggle builds strenght

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Dunamis Daily Devotional Tuesday, 25 April 2017- SECRETS OF DIVINE ENCOUNTER

TOPIC- SECRETS OF DIVINE ENCOUNTER

SCRIPTURE: And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. Exodus 4:2-3.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: God cannot do great things in the life of a person who is full of his own abilities.

One of the secrets of impactful existence is Divine encounter. Divine encounter makes a person’s life to count. Without Divine encounter in a person’s life, it is difficult for him/her to become great in life. Divine encounter counters every work of the enemy in a person’s life.

Now, what are the keys to experiencing Divine encounter?

1. Willingness to surrender personal strength or ability. 
God cannot do great things in the life of a person who is full of his/her own abilities. The angel of the LORD touched Jacob’s thigh (hamstring muscle) which is one of the most powerful muscles in the body and weakened him. When God saw his willingness to surrender his personal strength, God gave him an encounter.

2. Willingness to surrender personal steps and strategies.
Moses tried at first to deliver the children of Israel by using physical energy but he failed until he encountered God and God gave him a change of strategy. 
Beloved, if you are going to encounter God, you must allow Heaven to give you strategies and steps. If you are ready for God to change your approaches and steps, then you are ready for Divine Encounter. 

Remember this: God cannot do great things in the life of a person who is full of his/her own abilities.

ASSIGNMENT(S):
1. Go through the study again.
2. Surrender your strength, skills, qualification, etc. and allow God to have His way in your life.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: THE POWER OF DIVINE ENCOUNTER

PRAYER: LORD, I surrender my strength and abilities to You. I depend solely on Your strength and strategy, in Jesus’ Name.

DAILY READING: Judges 4:1 to 5:31, Luke 22:35 to 53, Psalm 94:1 to 23, Proverbs 14:3 to 4.

AMAZING FACT: An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.

TODAY IN HISTORY: 25/04/1867 - Tokyo was opened for foreign trade. 

QUOTE: Your degree of yieldedness determines your degree of usefulness in the Hands of God. Culled from THOU ART MY BATTLE AXE by Dr Paul Enenche.


  

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Billy Graham Daily Devotional April 25 2017- Joy in Sharing

TOPIC- Joy in Sharing

We . . . offer our sacrifice of praise to God by telling others of the glory of his name. —Hebrews 13:15 (TLB).
Jesus knew that one of the real tests of our yieldedness to God is our willingness to share with others. If we have no mercy toward others, that is one proof that we have never experienced God’s mercy. Emerson must have been reading the gauge of human mercy when he said, “What you are speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.” Satan does not care how much you theorize about Christianity, or how much you profess to know Christ. What he opposes vigorously is the way you live Christ.

Some time ago a lady wrote and said, “I am 65 years old. My children are all married, my husband is dead, and I am one of the loneliest people in all the world.” It was suggested to her that she find a way of sharing her religious faith and her material goods with those around her. She wrote a few weeks later and said, “I am the happiest woman in town. I have found a new joy and happiness in sharing with others.” That’s exactly what Jesus promised!
 
  Prayer for the day
 
There is no greater joy, Father, than sharing Your love. Help me to convey this in all my dealings with others.

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Our Daily Bread Devotional April 25, 2017- Don’t Give Up

TOPIC- Don’t Give Up

Read: Galatians 6:1–10 
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9.
Bob Foster, my mentor and friend for more than fifty years, never gave up on me. His unchanging friendship and encouragement, even during my darkest times, helped carry me through.

We often find ourselves determined to reach out and help someone we know who is in great need. But when we fail to see improvement right away, our resolve can weaken and we may eventually give up. We discover that what we hoped would be an immediate change has become an ongoing process.

As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people.
The apostle Paul urges us to be patient in helping one another through the stumbles and struggles of life. When he writes, “Carry each other’s burdens” and so “fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2), he is comparing our task to the work, time, and waiting it takes for a farmer to see a harvest.   

How long should we keep praying and reaching out to those we love? “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”  (v. 9). How many times should we reach out? “As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (v. 10).

The Lord encourages us today to trust Him, to remain faithful to others, to keep on praying, and to not give up!
Father in heaven, we ask for hope and perseverance to continue reaching out to others. 
In prayer we call on God “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” Ephesians 3:20

 

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Ray Stedman A Daily Devotion April 25th 2017- The Way Of Escape

TOPIC- The Way Of Escape

Read the Scripture: Genesis 6:13-22

But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you (Genesis 6:18).

When Noah came into the ark, God said to him, I will make my covenant with you. It was not merely the ark that saved Noah. That was the means by which his salvation was accomplished, but what really saved Noah was God's agreement with him. The word and promise of God—that is what saved him. Therefore, we too must look beyond the means by which we are saved to the great motivation that brought Christ to earth, to the promise of God that underlies everything else and makes covenant with us, a new arrangement for living. Whenever you see this word covenant in Scripture, do not think of it as a contract that God makes with people. It is that, in one sense, but it is primarily a new basis for life, an arrangement for living. This covenant here goes further than simply saving Noah; it is to govern his life and the life of the world after the flood is over. It requires but one attitude on Noah's part, that of obedience.
I am disturbed by the ease with which many seek to use the Lord Jesus as a Savior to save them from going to hell when they die, but they have no intention of allowing Him to govern their lives while they live. But here the story of Noah is very clear. It was not merely the fact that God brought Noah into the ark that saved him; it was that Noah was obedient to a new arrangement for living. Noah obeyed God.

This is what saved Noah, and this is what saves us. It is not the fact that we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, thus agreeing that we belong to Him and will be saved when we die. It is the fact that we have received Him as Lord. We recognize His rights over us, His right to rule, His right to regulate, His right to command us and for us to obey. The heart is to respond immediately in obedience to all that God commands, as Noah did here. That acknowledgment of lordship is the basis of salvation. That is the basis on which we not only will survive the disaster that hangs imminently over our age, threatening to strike at any moment, but also the individual disasters of every life that can cut the ground out from beneath the house of life and demolish it, washing away the sands upon which we build.

We must, rather, establish it upon a rock that cannot be moved, which rests upon the most unshakable thing in all the universe--the Word of God. That is what created the universe. There is nothing more dependable than the Word of God. Ultimately, everything that is present in all the universe around us has come from that source. When we rest, therefore, upon the word of God, the covenant of God, we rest upon the most certain and sure thing the universe knows anything about. Heaven and earth, Jesus said, will pass away, but my words will never pass away (Matthew 24:35).

Lord, thank You for the New Covenant, which is a new arrangement for living, and which grants to me the freedom and power to obey You.
Life Application: God established a covenant whereby through obedience we can be saved and enter into a new Life. How does the story of Noah picture this new way of living?

 

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Joyce Meyer's daily devotional April 24 2017 – The Written Word

Topic: The Written Word [Monday April 24, 2017]

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. — Psalm 119:105

The Bible is written as a personal letter to you. God speaks to you, ministers to your needs, and directs you in the way you should go in His written Word. He tells you what you should do and how you should live.

It is a mistake to think we can hear clearly from God without spending time in the Word. Knowing the written Word protects you from deception. Listening for God's voice without being dedicated to spending time in the Word on a regular basis opens you up to hearing voices that are not from God. There may be times when God speaks something to you that is outside a specific chapter and verse of the Bible, but it will always be in agreement with His Word.

Tonight, spend time reading a portion of God's personal letter to you and allow Him to speak to your heart. God’s Word is one of the most precious gifts we have. Treasure it.

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Open Heavens 24 April 2017: Monday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Another Jonah in The Church?

Topic: Another Jonah in The Church? [Monday 24, April 2017]

Memorise: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. – Mark 16:15

Read: Ezekiel 33:1-6 (KJV)

1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:

3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

Bible in One Year: Number 16-17, Jeremiah 19:10-20:6

MESSAGE:

We are often quick to judge Biblical characters when they do not measure up to God’s expectation in one area or the other. We should however not allow our judgemental opinions to becloud our minds from the salient lessons God is trying to pass across to us through the failings of these characters. To drive home this point, the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 10:11 says,

“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

Among such characters are father Abraham and Isaac, who both misrepresented their wife as their sister. We also have prophets like Elijah, who opted to die in the face of adversity, and Jonah, the prophet who chose to run away from God’s assignment. In the New Testament, we have apostles like Thomas, who said he would not believe in Christ’s resurrection unless he saw and touched the palms of His hands. The shortcomings of these characters exposes their humility to us, and it also serves as a challenge to us that if characters with such shortcomings can go on to do great things for God, so can we in spite of our inadequacies.

Let’s take a closer look at Prophet Jonah, and compare his attitude to that of believers in the Church today. In Jonah 1, we read of how the word of the Lord came to him, instructing him to go and warn the people of Nineveh against the impending doom hanging over their heads because of their wickedness. Instead of carrying out God’s assignment, Jonah chose to flee to Tarshish, because he wanted the people of Nineveh to receive God’s judgement. He knew if these people heard the warning and repented, God would not punish them as He had earlier planned. However, Jonah wanted them to receive God’s punishment because of all they had done to the children of Israel. In like manner, our Lord Jesus Christ has commanded us to go and preach the gospel of salvation to sinners. Following the principles set out in our Bible reading, if we do not obey the Lord’s commandment, God forbid that their blood be required of us. We must beware of Jonah’s mistake so that none of us becomes another Jonah in the Church. Jonah landed in the belly of a fish before he understood the foolishness of trying to run away from God. Are you being called into the ministry of soul-winning? Stop running from your responsibility! Let us take the assignment of soul-winning seriously, and we will not miss our reward. Proverbs 11:30 says,

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”

Prayer Point: Father, help me to win souls for You on a daily basis.

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DCLM Daily Manna April 24, 2017 by Pastor Kumuyi – Assigned Duty

Topic: Assigned Duty [Monday April 24, 2017]

Text: Ezekiel 22:1-12

Key Verse: "Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations" (Ezekiel 22:2).

While speaking in London, evangelist D.L. Moody was approached by a British companion who wanted to know the secret of Moody’s success in leading people to Christ. Moody directed the man to his hotel window and asked "what do you see?" The man looked down on the square and reported a view of crowded streets. Moody suggested that he looked again. This time the man mentioned seeing people – men, women and children. Moody then directed him to look a third time and the man became frustrated that he was not seeing what Moody wanted him to see.

The great evangelist came to the window with tearful eyes and said. "I see people going to hell without Jesus. Until you see people like that, you will never lead them to Christ." In the text, Jerusalem was tagged the bloody city. Her inhabitants had committed abominations against God such as idolatry, murder, fornication and adultery; oppression of the fatherless and widows, despising God’s holy things and profaning the Sabbaths. God had to send prophet Ezekiel with an urgent message to showcase the abominations of Jerusalem and warn them of His impending anger and fury.

Today like the days of Ezekiel, we find ourselves in the exact situation of religious, political and spiritual decay. What with all sexual perversion – homosexuality and gay culture, prostitution, lesbianism, pornography, cruelty, infidelity, adultery, abortion, day-light killings in the name of religion, and so on. What of profanity in the house of God - church members are unseating pastors, stealing tithes and offering, project fund, and so on. How abominable can a people be! Christ has charged every believer to become a witness to the fact that He died and resurrected to pay the ransom for man’s freedom from sin, self and Satan. This sacred duty assigned believers is indeed a great and urgent one.

We cannot leave it for pastors, evangelists and church leaders alone. It is so enormous that all born-again children of God must be involved. Rise up for the salvation of souls around you. Plead with sinners earnestly; make the message as plain and simple as possible. Preach it as a discerning watchman, warning the ignorant of imminent doom.

Thought for the day: Warning the ignorant of imminent doom is an assigned duty of the believer.

Bible Reading in one Year: Judges 14-17

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Dunamis Daily Devotional Monday, 24 April 2017- THE NON–NEGOTIABLE REQUIREMENT

Topic: the non-negotiable requirement

SCRIPTURE: By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice…By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. Hebrews 11:4; 17.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: If you do not hold back your sacrifice from God, God will not hold back your harvest. 

It has been established that faith is a non-negotiable requirement for seeing Divine Proofs in our lives. Therefore, maintaining a solid faith makes us to experience the inexplicable, incredible, incredulous and the incomprehensible manifestations of God.

Now, what do we do in order to empower our faith?

It is living a life of sacrifice!
A person of faith is a sacrificial person.

The following thoughts on sacrifice are noteworthy: 
1. Sacrifice is an avenue for both the expression and amplification of faith.  When you release what you can, you can expect God to do His part. 
2. Sacrifice is an act of faith that increases confidence in God’s response and it is the step of faith that commits God to act in the life of a person.
3. The move of God is triggered by the move of man. When a man moves in sacrifice, God is committed to move in his life.

If you do not hold back your sacrifice from God, God will not hold back your harvest from you. 

I prophesy the release of the spirit of sacrifice on you in Jesus’ Name.

Remember this: If you do not hold back your sacrifice from God, God will not hold back your harvest. 

ASSIGNMENT(S):
1. Live a life of sacrifice.
2. Ask God to break the power of greed from your life.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: BOOSTERS AND ENEMIES OF FAITH – (PART 3)

PRAYER: O LORD, I ask that You baptize me with the Spirit of sacrifice. Break the power of greed and stinginess from my life, LORD, in Jesus’ Name.

DAILY READING:  Judges 2:10 to 3:31, Luke 22:14 to 34, Psalm 92:1 to 93:5, Proverbs 14:1 to 2.

QUOTE: You can never reap until you have sown. Culled from 21 UNCOMMON KEYS TO FINANCIAL OVERFLOW by Dr Paul Enenche. 

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Kenneth Copeland Ministries Daily Devotional April 24 2017- Inside Out With Gloria Copeland

TOPIC- Inside Out

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 3:18.
Have you ever thought about the fact that man is the only creature God created who has to wear clothing to cover himself? All the other creatures grow their own coverings. Some grow fur, some feathers, others scales or leathery hide. But all are clothed from the inside out!

Most people don’t realize it, but in the beginning, man was clothed that way too. He was made in the image of God. And, if you’ll look in Ezekiel 8:2, you’ll find that God is clothed in fire from the loins up and from the loins down. That fire is His glory emanating outward from His innermost being.
When man was first created, he was like that too. He was covered with the very glory of God. It radiated from his inner being outward. That’s why he had no sense of nakedness until after he sinned and the glory departed from him.

It was a tragic day when man lost that glorious covering. But I want you to know something today. It’s not lost forever. The Word of God says we can gain it back.

You see, when you put your faith in the blood of Jesus and were born again, the glory of God once again took up residence in you. It may be well-hidden right now, but believe me, it’s in there.

And the Bible says that as you gaze into the Lord’s face by studying the Word and fellowshiping with Him, as you renew your mind to understand who you are in Christ, you’ll be changed into His image on the outside as well. As you learn to hear His voice and obey it, you’ll start giving outward expression of the glory within you. Little by little, you’ll be turned inside out!
Instead of simply staring into your closet every morning, spend some time gazing at Jesus and beholding His Word. Let Him clothe you in His radiant presence. Once His glory starts shining through, anything you wear will look beautiful on you.

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 8 

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Ray Stedman A Daily Devotion April 24th 2017- God's Grief, God's Grace

Topic-  God's Grief, God's Grace

Read the Scripture: Genesis 6:1-12

The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain... But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:6, 8).

When the account says God was grieved, it is really the word God repented. We know from other Scriptures that it is impossible for God to repent. He does not change His mind like humans do. But this is a powerful figure to express in a vivid way God's anger and determination. When society reaches this stage of dissolution and deterioration, God's anger burns. It appears that He has changed His mind completely, even though He is but acting on principles that are entirely consistent with His own being.

Yet, in the midst of this, we read that it grieved Him, and grief is always the activity of love. What we finite human beings do not understand is that God's love and wrath are exactly the same thing. They are two sides of the same coin. What entrances us and warms us about God and draws us to Him is love. He is the God of love who loves regardless of merit. This is what attracts us. But it is because we respond that He appears to us in that way. To those who reject His love, the same quality in God becomes wrath, and it seems to be a wall of fire, burning and consuming everything.
We can see this also in ourselves. It is our love that causes us to be angry at anything that injures what we love. You injure a mother's child in the mother's presence, and watch her love flame out in anger against you. Thus we have here clearly described a time when humanity, in its rejection of God, passes beyond the place of seeing God as love and begins to experience His love as wrath. But it is exactly the same thing.

But there is always the shining of grace, as in verse 8: But Noah found favor [or, literally, grace] in the eyes of the LORD (Genesis 6:8). God was calling throughout this whole age, just as He is calling in our age today, pleading with people to turn from their ways, to resist the widespread lie of Satan. One man and his family turned and found grace in God's sight. He did not deserve it, and he could equally have turned and gone the other way, but he responded to the wooing and pleading of God and found grace in His sight.

Bring this down to this century and draw the parallel between the days of Noah and the days in which we live. We must remember that if we are delivered from the wrath to come, if we escape the judging hand of God upon society, it is not because of anything we have done; it is the manifestation of God's grace.
God wooed us and won us, sought us out and, through many influences upon us, brought us at last to see that the age in which we live is an age under the bondage of a lie. He has opened our eyes to the truth, till we have turned to the Lord Jesus and rested under the grace of God.

As our age deteriorates, and our civilization nears the point of utter collapse, we can thank God that we have been snatched away as brands from the burning, like Noah and his family, if our hearts are responsive to the appeal of God's grace.

How I thank you, Father, for Your grace, which has snatched me out of the fire and brought me into a relationship with Your dear Son.
Life Application: God's love and wrath are two sides of the same coin. Are we believing Satan's widespread lie, still striving to please God, or are we walking in His grace?

 

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Our Daily Bread Devotional April 24, 2017- The Small Things

TOPIC- The Small Things

Read: Psalm 116:1–9 

Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17.
My friend Gloria called with excitement in her voice. She had not been able to leave her home except for doctors’ appointments. So I understood why she was so happy to tell me, “My son just attached new speakers to my computer, so now I can go to my church!” Now she could hear the live broadcast of her church’s worship service. She raved about God’s goodness and the “best gift my son could have given me!”

Gloria teaches me about having a thankful heart. Despite her many limitations, she’s thankful for the smallest of things—sunsets, helpful family and neighbors, quiet moments with God, the ability to remain in her own apartment. She’s had a lifetime of seeing God provide for her, and she talks about Him to anyone who visits or calls.

God is the giver of all good gifts in our life.
We don’t know what difficulties the author of Psalm 116 was encountering. Some Bible commentaries say it was probably sickness because he said, “the cords of death entangled me” (v. 3). But he gave thanks to the Lord for being gracious and full of compassion when he was “brought low” (vv. 5–6).

When we’re low, it can be hard to look up. Yet if we do, we see that God is the giver of all good gifts in our life—great and small—and we learn to give Him thanks.
What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? . . . I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving (Ps. 116:12, 17 esv). 

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Billy Graham Daily Devotional April 24 2017- He Is Alive!

TOPIC- He Is Alive!

Because I live, ye shall live also.
—John 14:19.

For personal Christianity, the resurrection is all-important. There is a vital interrelation to the existence of Christianity itself, as well as to the individual believer, in the message of the Gospel. The Swiss theologian, Karl Barth, said, “Do you want to believe in the living Christ? We may believe in Him only if we believe in His corporeal resurrection. This is the content of the New Testament. We are always free to reject it, but not to modify it, nor to pretend that the New Testament tells something else. We may accept or refuse the message, but we may not change it.” Christianity as a system of truth collapses if the resurrection is rejected. That Jesus rose from the dead is one of the foundation stones of our faith.
Prayer for the day
Lord, let me live today with the constant thought that You are alive!

 

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Persistency

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Our Daily Bread Devotional April 23, 2017- The Shrinking Piano

TOPIC- The Shrinking Piano

Read: Philippians 1:1–11 
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6.

For three consecutive years, my son participated in a piano recital. The last year he played, I watched him mount the steps and set up his music. He played two songs and then sat down next to me and whispered, “Mom, this year the piano was smaller.” I said, “No, it’s the same piano you played last year. You’re bigger! You’ve grown.”

Spiritual growth, like physical growth, often happens slowly over time. It is an ongoing process that involves becoming more like Jesus, and it happens as we are transformed through the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2).

Dear God, give me a desire to grow spiritually. I want to honor You with my life.
When the Holy Spirit is at work in us, we may become aware of sin in our lives. Wanting to honor God, we make an effort to change. Sometimes we experience success, but at other times, we try and fail. If it seems like nothing changes, we get discouraged. We may equate failure with a lack of progress, when it’s often proof that we are in the middle of the process.

 Spiritual growth involves the Holy Spirit, our willingness to change, and time. At certain points in our lives, we may look back and see that we have grown spiritually. May God give us the faith to continue to believe that “He who began a good work in [us] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6).OUR Daily Bread Devotional April 23, 2017- The Shrinking Piano

Dear God, give me a desire to grow spiritually. I want to honor You with my life and experience the joy of the Spirit’s work inside of me.

Spiritual growth is a process.

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Ray Stedman A Daily Devotion April 23rd 2017- To Walk With God

TOPIC- To Walk With God

Read the Scripture: Genesis 5:1-27

And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters... Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away (Genesis 5:22, 24).
This account says twice that, before he was taken up, Enoch walked with God. I love the story of the little girl who was telling her mother the story of Enoch. She said, Enoch used to take long walks with God. One day he walked so far God said, 'It's too far to go back; come on home with me.' That is what happened to Enoch.

What does it mean to walk with God? Here is a man who, in the midst of a brilliant but godless generation, walked with God. What does it mean? Enoch did not literally walk with God; this is unquestionably a figurative expression, but a figurative walk involves the same thing today as it did then. First, it means he went in the same direction God went. He was moving the way God was going. God is forever moving in human history. He is moving now to accomplish certain things in human life, and He has been doing so for centuries. The person who walks with God is the person who knows which way God is going and goes the same way. Now what is that? Perhaps we cannot indicate it positively, but we certainly can negatively: God moves always in unswerving hostility toward sin. He is opposed to that which destroys and wrecks human life. No matter how good it looks, no matter how attractive it seems, God is against it. And the person who walks with God is the person who walks in unswerving hostility toward sin in his or her own life and refuses to make up with it or permit it to rule or to reign. That is the first thing in a walk with God.

Ray Stedman A Daily Devotion April 23rd 2017- To Walk With God

Second, it means to keep in step. You cannot walk with somebody if you do not keep in step with him or her. Sooner or later there comes unbalance, and one of you bumps into the other. A walk is not like moving on one of these endless belts. It is not smooth; it is a repetition of almost falling. Have you ever analyzed your walk? Every time you take a step you almost fall. You allow your body to go off balance, and then you catch yourself with your other leg. Then you shift to that one and you almost fall again, only to catch yourself. The man or woman who walks with God is the man or woman who lives on the verge of a fall. That is an adventurous life. That means if God is not there to support and strengthen you, down you go. You are counting on Him to come through and to keep you steady. That is what a walk with God involves. It is always a walk of venturing out. It is never satisfied with the status quo, never content to remain in a quiet state, doing nothing, waiting, enjoying one's self. It is forever moving at the same pace God moves. It means taking a step when God insists.

The third thing is that there was no controversy between God and Enoch. They were in agreement. Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? says the Scriptures (Amos 3:3). They must be in agreement. And this is how we must be. There must be no controversy between us if we are going to walk with God, but we must agree with things as He sees them. What changes this makes in our lives!

Lord, may it be said of me as it was said of Enoch: He walked with God. I want to go in Your direction, keeping pace with You.
Life Application: Jesus' name Immanuel means God with us (Matthew 1:23). What does it mean today to walk with God? What are three things involved in walking with God?

 

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Billy Graham Daily Devotional April 23 2017- He Died for Us

TOPIC- He Died for Us

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
—Romans 5:8

As we stand at the cross of Christ we see a glorious exhibition of God’s love. Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, “While we were powerless to help ourselves . . . Christ died for sinful men.” In human experience, it is a rare thing for one man to give his life for another, even if the latter be a good man, though there have been a few who have had the courage to do it. Yet the proof of God’s amazing love is this: that it was “while we were sinners Christ died for us.”

A beautiful young society leader came to visit my wife and me. She had been converted to Christ in one of our Crusades, and she was absolutely radiant in her transformation. Already she had learned scores of Scripture verses by heart and was so full of Christ that we sat for two hours listening to her give her moving testimony. Over and over she said, “I cannot understand how God could forgive me. I have been such a wicked sinner. I just cannot understand the love of God.”

Prayer for the day
It is beyond comprehension the love that took You to the cross for me. Humbly I praise and thank You, my Savior and my Lord.

 

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Joseph Prince Devotional 23 April 2017- START USING YOUR MEASURE OF FAITH

TOPIC: START USING YOUR MEASURE OF FAITH

Romans 12:3
…God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
As children of God, we should never say, “I don’t have any faith.” To say this is to say that God is a liar because His Word already tells us that “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith”. 

Why then does the faith of some seem to be stronger than others?

Well, faith is like muscles. We are all born with a measure of muscles. But some of us develop our muscles better than others. Bodybuilders, for example, exercise their muscles very regularly to make them grow bigger and stronger.

Likewise, your measure of faith grows when you feed and use it. Each time you hear or read God’s Word, you are feeding your faith. When you confess God’s Word and expect good things to happen to you, you are using it. And the more you use it, the more your faith grows.

So use your faith. You could start with headaches, for example. When you have a headache, instead of always running straight for your painkillers, use your faith. Ask God for healing, and trust and thank Him for the healing. 
Now, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with taking medicine. And if you have to go to the doctor, don’t feel condemned either. Just start using your faith at a level you are comfortable with. If you need to go to the doctor, then go in faith, praying, “Abba Father, I am going to the doctor. I am asking You in Jesus’ name to give the doctor wisdom to give me an accurate diagnosis. My trust is not in him but in You.”

And when you take your medicine, don’t just pop in the pills. In faith, say, “Lord, sanctify this medicine,” then take it. This is because some medicines have negative side effects. So when you ask God to sanctify it, He blesses that medicine. And what will be developing in you, growing bigger and possessing your body until it is too widespread, is divine health!

Beloved, you have been given a measure of faith. Start using it, believing that it is this measure of your faith that causes you to draw from the inexhaustible power of a faithful and loving God!

Thought For The Day
Your measure of faith grows when you feed and use it. 

 

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Dunamis’ Daily Devotional April 23, 2017 by Pastor Paul Enenche – The Purpose of The Anointing

Topic: The Purpose of The Anointing [Sunday April 23, 2017]

Scripture: And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. Isaiah 10:27

Thought For The Day: God with a person equals the Anointing.

The Anointing is the Presence of God in a person’s life. The Bible says that God anointed Jesus Christ of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and power who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil for God was with Him (Acts 10:38). God with a person, therefore, equals the Anointing.

I will like to outline one important purpose of the Anointing of God in a person’s life:

It is the lifting of burdens or cargos.

From our anchor Scripture, it is clear that the Anointing is a supernatural lifting force that has the capacity to lift burdens, yokes and cargos.

The burden might be a burden of sin, depression, fruitlessness, poverty, empty-handedness, sickness and affliction or marital embargo, etc.

Whatever it is that has been weighing you down, the Anointing of the Holy Ghost has the capacity to lift that yoke off your life. Every burden in your life shall be lifted off you today in the Name of Jesus Christ.

Remember this: God with a person equals the Anointing.

Assignment(S):

1. Surrender every situation that constitutes a burden on you to God today.

2. Study and meditate on Matthew 11:28.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE:  THE POWER OF THE ANOINTING

Prayer: LORD, I ask for the lifting of every burden in my life by the power of the Anointing. Saturate me with Your Presence, LORD, in Jesus’ Name.

Daily Reading: Judges 1:1 to 2:9, Luke 21:29 to 22:13, Psalm 90:1 to 91:16, Proverbs 13:24 to 25.

Quote: The Presence of God opens doors and commands all manner of blessings. Culled from 30 SECRETS TO THE TOP by Dr Paul Enenche.

Amazing Fact: Earth has traveled more than 5,000 miles in the past 5 minutes.

Today In History: 23/04/1968 - The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged to form the United Methodist Church.

Prophetic Parental Blessing
This week is your week; favour will find you, blessings will besiege you, mercy will meet you, grace will grab you and your allocations will locate you, in Jesus’ Name.

Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), is a powerfully anointed church, headquartered at Abuja, Nigeria, with Dr Paul and Dr Becky Enenche, as the Senior Pastors. It is a power-packed arena where God’s Presence, Principles and Power are at work for the salvation, healing and restoration of human destinies and dignities.

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Joyce Meyer's daily devotional April 23, 2017- A Rock-Solid Foundation

TOPIC- A Rock-Solid Foundation


[Jesus] said to them, But who do you [yourselves] say that I am? Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Matthew 16:15-16
— Matthew 16:15-16.

When Peter said that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, it was a statement of faith. In making this statement, Peter was displaying faith.

I don’t think Peter just casually or nonchalantly made that statement. I think he did it with a surety and a certainty that impressed Jesus because He immediately turned to Peter and told him that he was blessed. Then He went on to say that it was upon this rock-solid foundation of faith that He would build His church.

Jesus was saying to Peter, “If you maintain this faith, it will be a rocklike substance in your life upon which I will be able to build My kingdom in you, and through you. Your faith will be developed to the place that even the gates of hell will not be able to prevail against you.”

There have been many times in my life when I have been discouraged and not known what to do, or felt that nothing was working and that everybody was against me. The words I have heard over and over again are, “Only believe.”

This promise was not just for Peter alone. Jesus is saying the same thing to you and me. Only believe!

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