Topic: Prejudice Is Weakness [Billy Graham Devotional 24 October 2018 – Prejudice is Weakness]
Judge not, that ye be not judged.— Matthew 7:1
The word prejudice means “prejudging” or “making an estimate of others without knowing the facts.” Prejudice is a mark of weakness, not of strength. Prejudice is measured by computing the distance between our own biased opinions and the real truth. If we would all be perfectly honest before God, there would be no prejudice.
Prayer for the day: You love each one of us with a love that breaks through all prejudicial barriers, Father. Forgive me for the times I judge others. Purify my heart, that I may be used to draw people together into the bond of Christ’s unifying love.
Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.
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You are watching the Tuesday LIVE Service tagged “Covenant Hour of Prayer” October 23, 2018 with Bishop David Oyedepo at Living Faith Church, aka Winners’ Chapel, Faith Tabernacle Canaan Land Ota Nigeria. (Please, reload this page for the latest live event)
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Memorise: “For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”- 2 John 1:11
Read: Ephesians 5:1-8 (KJV)
1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
Bible in One Year: Jeremiah 16-17, Luke 9:51-10:16
MESSAGE:
It is unfortunate that sin abounds in the Church of today because we do not collectively abhor evil deeds anymore. Instead of hating what is evil, we actually celebrate sinners, and by so doing, we ignorantly become accomplice of their evil deeds. We no longer follow the instruction of the Holy Spirit in 1 Timothy 5:20, which says:
“Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.”
Our modern approach is contrary to this scripture because we want to do church in a “civilized” manner. Adam and Eve also desired to be civilized, and they ended up becoming corrupted. Proverbs 24:23-25 says:
“23 These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. 24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: 25 But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.”
This scripture reveals the danger of being the accomplice of an evil doer and also the blessing attached to detesting and rebuking evil. Romans 12:9b also says:
“Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”
This is what is missing in the Church today. My prayer is that the almighty God will revive the Church, and evil deeds shall become alien to the Body of Christ in Jesus’ Name.
The task of rebuking evil is divine, and whoever will perform this task must live above reproach (Romans 2:20-23). He or she must also be ready for persecution and blackmail. However, we should not be deterred by these because evildoers also did the same to the prophets of old. In Matthew 5:10-12, our Lord Jesus Christ said:
“10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
Jeremiah is a classic example of someone who was maligned for rebuking evil in high places. He was indeed a sad prophet. He lamented the evil of his time so much that a whole book out of the 66 books of the Bible was dedicated to his lamentation. Similarly, even though John the Baptist was the greatest of all men that lived before Christ, his head ended up on a plate because he spoke out against evildoers (Matthew 11:11, Mark 6:25-28). Nevertheless beloved, these sufferings are more tolerable than the judgment reserved for being the accomplice of evildoers. May the Lord help you in this regard in Jesus’ Name.
Prayer Point:
Father, let righteousness become the resonating song in the Body of Christ all over the world.
Tuesday Hymn 16: Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus
1. Stand up, stand up for Jesus! ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss:
From vict’ry unto vict’ry, His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.
2. Stand up, stand up for Jesus! The trumpet call obey:
Forth to the mighty conflict, in this His glorious day;
Ye that are men now serve Him against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.
3. Stand up, stand up for Jesus! Stand in His strength alone,
The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own;
Put on the gospel armor, and watching unto prayer,
Where calls the voice of duty, be never wanting there.
4. Stand up, stand up for Jesus! the strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song;
To him that overcometh a crown of life shall be;
He with the King of glory shall reign eternally.
Open Heaven 23 October 2018 Tuesday 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 Heaven 23 October 2018 Tuesday Daily Devotional.
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Scripture: …Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. Genesis 37:2.
Thought For The Day: Iniquity kills Destiny
The Scripture makes it clear that one key character of life and destiny worthy of emulation is Joseph. Joseph existed in such a realm of massive destiny and impact that he became a voice in a strange land. Everyone in Egypt was at his command; it was what he said that happened and his exploits cannot be wiped out both in time and eternity.
Now, what was the secret of Joseph? It is standing in righteousness. Joseph took a stand for God; he stood against the evil practices of his brothers. He was against the wind of worldliness that blew everyone in his time and consequently, he existed in an enviable realm.
Beloved, to be different from the world and make a mark for God, you must take a stand for God, you must stand out from the crowd; you must run against the evil wind of unrighteousness and iniquity. If Joseph had consented to the pressure and pleasure of immorality from Potiphar’s wife, his destiny would have been buried. In the same way, when you fall into the temptation of committing immorality and other sinful practices and habits, you bury your destiny. Iniquity kills destiny. On the other hand, integrity is key to fulfilling destiny.
Beloved, my counsel is, stand out from the crowd by standing on the ground of righteousness; refuse to do what everyone is doing if it is against God’s Word.
Remember This: Iniquity kills Destiny
Assignments:
1. Endeavour to stand out for God in everything you do.
2. Always make up your mind to say ‘No’ to sin and all forms of iniquity.
3. Draw closer to God in personal intimacy and relationship.
Prayer: O Lord, I ask for the grace to stand out for You in my generation; Help me Lord to live a life of integrity and positive character, LORD, in Jesus’ Name.
Quote: What you do determines how you end; how you live determines what you earn in time and eternity. Culled from 365 WISDOM CAPSULES by Dr Paul Enenche
Daily Reading: Jeremiah 42:1 to 44:23, 2 Timothy 2:1 to 21, Psalm 92:1 to 93:5, Proverbs 26:3 to 5
Amazing Fact: Some palm trees can live for more than a century
Today In History: 23/10/1760 – First Jewish prayer books were printed in North America
Don’t Forget To Attend: The two Power-Packed Communion Services tomorrow by 4:45pm and 6:30pm respectively. Invite your friends and loved ones. God bless you
Also Read: Click HERE to read Other Inspirational Messages by Pastor Paul Enenche
Today’s devotional was written by Pastor Paul Enenche of 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
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Key Verse: “Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood“ (Deuteronomy 29:18).
MESSAGE:
God has never hidden the fact that He is a jealous God. Hence, He will not condone anyone serving Him with other gods. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God,…” (Exodus 20:3-5).
In contemporary times, idolatry has gone beyond worshipping of objects. Whatever you love, appreciate or give attention to more than God constitutes an idol. The social media, politics, sports, games, fashion, family, career, business, etc. have become the modern-day idols in the lives of many because they do not only compete with God, but also have relegate Him to a position of second fiddle in their lives.
The passage for today reveals the fact that one can be drawn into idolatry through interaction and communication with idolaters as well as seeing or secretly coveting idolatrous activities. The Bible clarifies that “…evil communications corrupt good manners.” The text also outlines some of the consequences of idolatry to include: turning the heart away from God, poisoning the life of the idolatrous as “a root that bears gall and wormwood”, leading to delusion with the idolater blessing “himself in his heart”, and hardening of the heart. It further stated that God will not spare the idolater from His curse and anger. To keep away from idols, we must avoid fellowship with idolaters and guard our hearts diligently.
Thought For The Day: God’s judgment awaits all idolaters.
Bible Reading In One Year: John 7-8
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
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Read: Matthew 7:13–14, Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 1–2; 1 Timothy 3
Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:14
I have a beautiful autumn photograph of a young man on horseback in the Colorado mountains as he contemplates which trail ahead to follow. It reminds me of Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken.” In it, Frost ponders two pathways that lie before him. Both are equally inviting, but he doubts he will return to this place again, and he must choose one. Frost wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”
In Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), the Lord told His listeners, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (7:13–14).
On our journey through life, we face many choices about which road to travel. Many pathways seem promising and attractive but only one is the pathway of life. Jesus calls us to travel the road of discipleship and obedience to God’s Word—to follow Him instead of the crowd.
As we ponder the road ahead, may God give us wisdom and courage to follow His way—the road of life. It will make all the difference for us and those we love!
Prayer: Lord, as we go through this day, give us eyes to see the narrow road that leads to life and the courage to follow it.
Choose to walk the road of life with Jesus.
INSIGHT
Life is all about choices—and their consequences. As author Robert Louis Stevenson put it, “Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.” We see this throughout the Scriptures as our first parents hid from God in the ancient garden (Genesis 3:8), Moses was forbidden to enter the promised land (Deuteronomy 32:52), David was confronted by the prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 12), and after denying his Lord, Peter wept bitterly (Luke 22:62). By the same token, Moses counseled the Israelites to choose the things of life (Deuteronomy 30:19), and Solomon warned those who do not choose to fear the Lord (Proverbs 1:28–29). Why is this so important? In Psalm 25:12, David sang, “Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.” When the wisdom of God guides us in our choices, we have less reason to fear the consequences those choices might bring.
For more on choices and their consequences, check out the Discovery Series booklet Eve and Rahab: Learning to Make Better Choices at discoveryseries.org/hp031.
Bill Crowder
This message was written By David C. McCasland [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]
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