Good sense and discretion make a man slow to anger, and it is his honor and glory to overlook a transgression or an offense [without seeking revenge and harboring resentment]. — Proverbs 19:11 (AMP)
God’s plan for the people of the nation of Israel was only for their good. Yet they wandered around in the wilderness for 40 years on what was actually an 11-day journey. Why? Was it their enemies, their circumstances, the trials along the way, or something entirely different that prevented them from arriving at their destination in a timely manner?
God called the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt to go to the land He had promised to give them as a perpetual inheritance—a land that flowed with milk and honey and every good thing they could imagine—a land in which there would be no shortage of anything they needed—a land of prosperity in every realm of their existence.
But the Israelites had no positive vision for their lives—no dreams. They knew where they came from, but they did not know where they were going. Everything was based on what they had seen in the past or what they could presently see. They did not know how to see with “the eye of faith.”
We really shouldn’t view the Israelites with astonishment because most of us do the same thing they did. We keep dealing with the same problems over and over again. The disappointing result is that it takes us years to experience victory over something that could have and should have been dealt with quickly.
I come from a background of abuse. My childhood was filled with fear and torment, and my personality was a mess! I built up walls of protection to keep people from hurting me, not realizing that while I was locking others out, I was also locking myself in. I was filled with fear and believed that the only way I could face life was to be in control so no one could hurt me.
As a young adult trying to live for Christ and follow the Christian lifestyle, I knew where I had come from, but I did not know where I was going. I felt that my future would always be marred by my past. I thought, How could anyone with a past like mine ever be all right? It’s impossible!
But Jesus had a different plan. He said, The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me . . . to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity] (Luke 4:18 AMPC).
Jesus came to open the prison doors and set the captives free—and that included me. However, I did not make any progress until I started to believe that I really could be set free. I had to get rid of my negative thinking and replace it with a positive vision for my life. I had to believe that neither my past nor my present could determine my future. Only then could Jesus free me from the bondage of my past—and free me, He did. What a marvelous miracle!
You may have had a miserable past; you may even be in current circumstances that are very negative and depressing. You may be facing situations that are so bad it seems you have no real reason to hope. But I say to you boldly: Your future is not determined by your past or your present!
Most of the generation the Lord called out of Egypt never entered into the Promised Land. Instead, they died in the wilderness. To me, this is one of the saddest things that can happen to a child of God—to have so much available and yet never be able to enjoy any of it.
Start believing that God’s Word is true. Mark 9:23 assures you that with God all things are possible. Because you serve a God who created everything you see out of the unseen realm (see Hebrews 11:3), you can give Him your nothingness and watch Him go to work on your behalf. All you have to do is have faith in Him and believe His Word—He will do the rest!
Prayer Starter: Dear Father, I thank You for loving me and having a vision—a good plan—for my life. I pray that You will help me overcome any negative thoughts of problems, past or present, that come against my mind, and make my life what You want it to be. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Watch Dunamis LIVE Service with Pastor Paul Enenche IMPARTATION SERVICE -16-09-2018
Watch LIVE Service HERE from the Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), headquartered at Abuja, Nigeria, with Pastor Paul and 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.
Dunamis International Gospel Centre is a destiny molding centre where lives are empowered to fulfill destiny. Dunamis is an end-time battle axe in the hands of God, with the mandate to restore human destinies and dignities, and no matter how battered, shattered, scattered, buffeted, ruptured, punctured and de-constructed lives and destinies are, they have been mended, gathered, sutured, and re-constructed by the power of God! Yours can be the next for the Master’s touch.
Open Heavens 16 September 2018 Sunday Daily Devotional by Pastor E A Adeboye – Knowledge of Good or Evil?
Topic: Knowledge of Good or Evil? (Open Heavens 16 September 2018)
Memorise: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”- James 1:5
Read: Genesis 3:1-5 (KJV)
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Bible in One Year: Proverbs 23-25, Mark 8:31-9:13
Open Heavens 16 September 2018 Sunday MESSAGE:
Many people don’t know that it is dangerous, if not a curse, to possess the knowledge of evil. To have the knowledge of evil is to know how to do evil. In Genesis 3:5, when the devil told our first parents that their eyes would be open and they would be like God, knowing good and evil, he was literally saying “you will know how to do evil”, even though he did not tell them he was teaching them how to do evil. This is why it is wise for every child of God to understand the source and the nature of any knowledge they are acquiring. In James 3:17, the Holy Spirit recommends the type of applied knowledge we should seek after, saying:
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”
Do you know that some people acquire knowledge that destroys their entire life? When a young boy learns how to smoke marijuana or other narcotic substances, he becomes emboldened and begins to feel he has “become a man”. What folly this is! When a young girl is introduced to premarital sex, she may be deceived that such carnal knowledge will make her “a real woman”. Although she may be excited about it, the truth is she only learned how to do evil, and it will destroy her destiny. This is why parents must endeavor to fill their children with godly knowledge before it is too late. God’s wisdom in Proverbs 22:6 says:
“Train up a child in the way that he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
There are ways the devil introduce his “curriculum” on the knowledge of evil to mankind. In today’s Bible reading, he used the deductive method to achieve his goal. He asked: “Did God say that you should not eat of the every tree of the garden?” He was pretending not to know which of the fruits in the garden was forbidden. Would God have arranged for his children to starve by commanding them not to eat of every tree of the garden? Even today, the devil still uses this style. For example, he may come to you saying “Did God say you should not drink any wine?” The answer is definitely “No, what God said is that I should not drink alcoholic wine.” He may also say to you, “Yes, I know God would not want you to have sex because it is bad!” The answer is “No, what God said is that I can only have sex with my spouse.” The devil is a liar, please don’t believe his lies.
Open Heavens 16 September 2018 Sunday Action Point:
Watch the kind of knowledge you acquire over the internet, and review the kind of blogs you read.
Open Heavens 16 September 2018 Sunday Hymn 7: Wonderful Story Of Love.
1. Wonderful story of love;
Tell it to me again;
Wonderful story of love;
Wake the immortal strain!
Angels with rapture announce it,
Shepherds with wonder receive it;
Sinner, oh, won’t you believe it?
Wonderful story of love.
Chorus:
Wonderful! Wonderful!
Wonderful, wonderful story of love.
2. Wonderful story of love;
Though you are far away;
Wonderful story of love;
Still He doth call today;
Calling from Calvary’s mountain,
Down from the crystal-bright fountain,
E’en from the dawn of creation,
Wonderful story of love.
3. Wonderful story of love;
Jesus provides a rest;
Wonderful story of love;
For all the pure and blest,
Rest in those mansions above us,
With those who’ve gone on before us,
Singing the rapturous chorus,
Wonderful story of love.
Open Heavens 16 September 2018 Sunday Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC. Open Heavens 16 September 2018 Sunday Daily Devotional.
Topic: Righteousness Depends On God, Not On Self [Andrew Wommack 16 September 2018 Daily Devotional]
Matthew 21:28-30 “But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.“
Text: Matthew 21:23-24; Mark 11:27-33; 12:1-2; Luke 20:1-9
This parable was given in response to the religious leaders rejecting Jesus’ authority. Through this parable, Jesus reveals God’s rejection of the Jews in response to their rejection of His Son. Jesus is showing that those who do the will of God are actually the ones invested with God’s authority.
These leaders had a form of godliness like this second son, but they were not doing the will of God. The publicans and harlots had no form of godliness, but when confronted with the preaching of John, many of them repented and began to do the will of God like the first son in the story.
These religious Jews, who sat in the seat of Moses, disqualified themselves from being God’s representatives here on earth, because of their hypocrisy and hard hearts. Even the publicans and harlots, who repented at John’s preaching, were ahead of them. There is no sin more frequent among religious people than that of self-righteousness; that is to honor the Lord with the mouth when the heart is far from Him.
These sinners were entering the kingdom of God ahead of the very religious Jews because they knew they were sinners and they put their faith in a Savior. One of the deadliest things about religious self-righteousness is the deception that we will be saved because of our good deeds. We cannot save ourselves regardless of how good we act. Who wants to be the best sinner that ever was sent to Hell?
This message was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff. (www.awmi.net).
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. – 1 Timothy 2:1-2
We are commanded to pray for our country and our leaders. But having prayed, God expects us to act. The elections in the United States are vital to the future of this nation. Our country is in the midst of a spiritual outpouring, and it’s vitally important that the right people be elected. We must see to it.
Don’t wait until election time is upon us before you start seeking God for whom to vote. Begin to pray now so that the news media and other voices from every corner cannot influence you and cannot draw you in a direction away from the Spirit of God. Pray so that you won’t be influenced by natural reactions and natural responses to cleverly designed commercials and ideas.
Start praying now about the coming elections. Whether they are small local elections or major national elections, make them a part of every prayer you pray. Then thank the Spirit of God for His wisdom concerning for whom to vote. Thank Him for giving you His wisdom about what to say and when to say it to others. Thank Him for giving you wisdom to declare the Name of Jesus and declare that this shall be a God-indwelt, God-ordained, God-overseen administration.
So register. Pray. Vote. Then stand up and be counted by the power of the living God.
Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-8
This message was written by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, the leader of the Kenneth Copeland Ministries (www.KCM.org) that specializes in teaching principles of bible faith – prayer, healing, salvation and other biblical topics.
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