Understanding the Lord’s Will 2
1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NET) For this is God’s will: that you become holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality I remember having a conversation with a backslidden brother who had an argument with me concerning the definition of fornication. He was trying to prove to me that if two people have agreed to marry each other, and they become intimate, they are not committing fornication, that marriage was about consent. I tried to show him from scripture that even though marriage was about consent, a lady is given in marriage by the constituted [spiritual] authority over her. She does not give herself in marriage but her father or someone occupying that position in her life is the one who gives her in marriage. My conversation with this brother (who the Lord is now restoring) opened my eyes to an obvious phenomenon I had not properly considered: sexual immorality is a major source of stumbling for many believers, but little is said about it in many church assemblies. Many have gotten into trouble in this area because of carelessness in little things. I remember haven to instruct one of my mentees to never be alone and have a sister visit. God’s will for us believers is that we become holy. There is nothing that hinders this like sexual immorality. Fleeing sexual immorality for the believer is not a suggestion, it is an instruction. If we must continue to live and excel spiritually, we must put to death the works of the flesh (see Romans 8:13), and the first in that list is sexual immorality (see Galatians 5:19). We live in a world that is increasingly sensual. Temptations are everywhere, but remember that where Sin abounds, grace abounds much more. Grace empowers us to resist sin. It teaches us how to deny worldly lusts (Titus 2:11-12). (It would teach an unmarried young man not to tell a lady he does not intend to marry that ‘I love you’.) Go into today asking the Lord for grace to stand in this area. This grace is received by faith. You have to believe that you can stand and stay pure. Prayer: I Expel and resist every [latent] influence of the spirits of immorality. I walk in Holiness and inherit God’s promises. Amen (2 Corinthians 7:1). Want to be saved? Click here: streamglobe.org/33 —Abraham Damilola Arigi Bible in 1 Year: Acts 1-2 (in Devotional Audio) Download Sermons here: streamglobe.org/34 To start getting Streamglobe Devotional Text & Audio every day, join our WhatsApp Group Here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Lj4FUvUsxgJG8Q8UGsXUMF http://listen.streamglobe.org/Devotional%20Audio%202108.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()Subscribe: RSS
Understanding the Lord’s Will
Ephesians 5:15-17 (NET) 15 Therefore be very careful how you live – not as unwise but as wise, 16 taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord’s will is. After Aarav accepted the Lord and understood the importance of fulfilling divine destiny, he wanted to know the will of God in every decision he was to make because he understood that walking in the will of God is the definition of walking wisely. He would seek to hear from God either by prophecy, word of knowledge or by dreams in order to be sure that a decision he was to make is God’s will. But as Aarav grew in the faith, he realized that he became wiser spiritually, and in most cases, he didn’t need a prophetic manifestation in order to discern the will of God. He now understood the will of God, and this made him walk more accurately and wisely. God does not just want us to know His will, He wants us to understand His will. Understanding the will of God is a product of spiritual wisdom (see Ephesians 5:17). There is what the Bible calls spiritual wisdom and understanding (see Colossians 1:9). Spiritual wisdom is a product of fruitful knowledge of God’s Word and counsel. If a believer applies his heart to the word of God and determines to live according to it, the word of God will change his outlook to life. As this happens, he becomes wiser and is able to understand the will of God. There are many grey areas in this life, and those who would navigate accurately are those who have minds that can understand God’s will. When you read the Bible and see God make decisions, go beyond knowing what the decisions were and try to understand why they were made. This would help you understand the mind of God and walk in it. Go into today desiring to understand the will of God in all areas of life. This is the secret of walking wisely and fulfilling divine purpose. Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me understand Your will and walk in it all the days of my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen. —Abraham Damilola Arigi Bible in 1 Year: Obadiah (in Devotional Audio) To start getting Streamglobe Devotional Text & Audio every day, join our WhatsApp Group Here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Lj4FUvUsxgJG8Q8UGsXUMF Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. http://listen.streamglobe.org/Devotional%20Audio%202107.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()Subscribe: RSS
How Do You Define Success 1?
Matthew 12:50 (KJV) For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. Finding out that a volume was written concerning me by God before I was born has been my most thrilling discovery: for me, it is a game-changer. There is a detailed description of God’s intention for me and If I know it (them), do and finish it (them), I’ll receive a “well done thou good and faithful servant” from The Lord, and this to me will be the peak of all success. This is how I see success, how do you see success? Jesus in John 4:34 (KJV) says ’’ my meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work’’. Hebrews 12:2 (KJV) says that we should look unto Jesus; ’’ Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’’ If Jesus is our example for life, then, the food that keeps us going just like him, must be how to do the will of God and to finish his work. This will then mean that the standard by which success will be judged will be the degree to which we walk in the will of God. Go into today knowing that the most important discovery for a child of God is to know the will of God for him. It is on this premise that he may then be judged successful or not. Pray this way: Father, help me walk in your will always. —Dr. Emmanuel James Bible in 1 Year:Proverbs 26-27 (in Devotional Audio) Download Sermons here: streamglobe.org/34 To start getting Streamglobe Devotional Text & Audio every day, join our WhatsApp Group Here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Lj4FUvUsxgJG8Q8UGsXUMF
It’s a Family Matter
Hebrews 2:11 AMPC For both He Who sanctifies [making men holy] and those who are sanctified all have one [Father]. For this reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren When Dan won the election, he now realized that he had many ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’. People he had never known before would come and explain to him how they are close relatives. But he remembered when he was struggling, and no one but his true family identified with Him. They were the ones who helped him get back on his feet when he lost everything. They were the ones who were not ashamed of him when he was at his lowest but helped him. This his family members were his Christian brethren with whom he shared a bond stronger than flesh and blood. When a person becomes a believer in Christ Jesus, he becomes a member of God’s glorious household. God becomes his Father and Jesus his Brother. Because Jesus is God come in the flesh, it normally would have been a thing of shame for Him to reckon with us as brethren, but Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren. Such grace, such love! If Jesus could call us brethren, we should not be ashamed of reckoning ourselves as brethren with any believer, no matter how lowly or wretched they may seem. The next time you pray, remember that you are praying to your heavenly Father who wants the best for you at all times. Pray from that standpoint, that the way Jesus prayed (John 17:11), and that’s the most effective way to pray (see Ephesians 3:14). Go into today having your expectations shaped by the understanding that God is your Father and Jesus is your brother. Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me walk daily in the reality of who you have made me in Your family. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Want to be saved? Click here: streamglobe.org/33 —Abraham Damilola Arigi Bible in 1 Year: Psalms 114-116 (in Devotional Audio) Download Sermons here: streamglobe.org/34
Don’t Waste Your Mornings
Psalms 5:3 (ESV) “O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” How do you begin your day? What are the first thoughts that flood your mind when you open your eyes in the morning? What are those things that keep you in bed and draw your attention whenever you awaken? There are hungers and avoidances that draw our hearts and attention every morning. Pastor John Piper categorizes them as novelty hunger, ego hunger, entertainment hunger, boredom avoidance, responsibility avoidance and hardship avoidance. But there is a better way to begin the day. It will take some planning and discipline. What we want in the morning is to be filled with the Spirit of God. We want something that will give us a zeal for the glory of Christ for the day’s work. We want to be strengthened to face whatever the day may bring. We want to go into the day filled with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost and extend these to others around us. That is the real agenda to pursue in the morning. Let the first thing out of your mouth in the morning be a cry to God, telling Him how much you love and need Him. Let God be the first to hear your voice in the morning before all others. Then prepare a sacrifice which is your body. Dedicate your body afresh to Him this morning and watch. Watch and wait in expectation because He will show up for you in the course of your day. Pray with the Psalmist: O Lord, in the morning you will hear my voice, in the morning I will pray to you and watch for your answer. —Ubokudom Otuekong Want to be saved? Click here: streamglobe.org/33 Bible in 1 Year: Numbers 25-28 (in Devotional Audio) To start getting Streamglobe Devotional Text & Audio every day, join our WhatsApp Group Here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Lj4FUvUsxgJG8Q8UGsXUMF
His Stripes Healed You
1 Peter 2:24 (KJV) Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. Ray thought the skin disease he had would be healed once he received Christ as his Lord and Savior, but the condition remained. It was after he listened to a teaching on healing in his Church that he changed his prayer from the regular ‘Lord place heal me’. He realized after the teaching that he had been healed a long time ago and that all he needed to do was to receive his healing by faith and thanksgiving in Jesus’ name. That day, his prayer changed to ‘‘Lord, I thank you because you healed me by your stripes, I now receive my healing in Jesus name, amen.’’ He however still had visible signs of the disease on his body which whenever he saw wanted to create doubt in his mind but he prayed again, ‘‘Lord, thank you for bearing the stripes that healed me, I bless you because I have been healed in Jesus name, amen.’’ He continued to thank God for his healing every time he saw the signs. This was how he became completely healed. You see, if you are a child of God, you have been healed by the stripes of Jesus and he does not want you to be sick at all, but if you fall sick, you simply need to receive the healing Christ has already offered you by faith and thanksgiving in Jesus name. Go into today knowing that you have been healed by Jesus’ stripes. Divine healing and health is your portion. Prayer: Thank you Jesus for healing me, thank you Lord for divine health. Not yet saved? Go here☞streamglobe.org/33 —Dr. Emmanuel James Bible in 1 Year: Numbers 25-28 (in Devotional Audio) To start getting Streamglobe Devotional Text & Audio every day, join our WhatsApp Group Here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Lj4FUvUsxgJG8Q8UGsXUMF
When Trials Come (Learning from Elizabeth and Zachariah)
Luke 1: 5-7 (NET) During the reign of Herod king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and he had a wife named Elizabeth, who was a descendant of Aaron. They were both righteous in the sight of God, following all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. But they did not have a child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both very old. Arm yourself with the right knowledge: The first thing to note is that trials do come. John 16:33b says “in the world ye shall have tribulation”. As far as we are in this world, trials will come. Did you notice that in the story of Elizabeth and Zachariah the Bible never once alluded that the barrenness of Elizabeth was as a result of their sin? In fact, the Bible described them both as ‘righteous in the sight of God, following all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly’. Arm yourself with the right knowledge, trouble doesn’t necessarily mean you were the cause. Because the danger of such thinking is that it places on you the responsibility of undoing it by your own works. No. Don’t browbeat yourself, take the focus off yourself. Recognize it as what it is; a trial of your faith. Continue serving the Lord: Discouragement is a weapon of the devil. He uses it to crush a man’s spirit. Here is what Proverbs 18:14 says, ‘A man’s spirit will sustain him in sickness, but a crushed spirit, who can bear?’, verse 22 of chapter 17 says ‘A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit drains one’s strength’. Many tend to draw back when faced with trials. They become withdrawn from God’s work and God’s people…No! verse 8 of our text says, ‘Now while Zachariah was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty’. He didn’t leave his duty post but kept on serving the Lord. Pray, keep praying, don’t stop praying: Philippians 4:6 admonishes against worrying but rather pray, and in Luke 18 verse 1 Jesus told a story to pass a message on why men must always pray and never give up. Zachariah must have done just that, pray. For when the angel of the Lord met him in the temple, he said to him in verse 13, “Do not be afraid, Zachariah, for your prayer has been heard; and your wife will bear you a son…’. Just to avoid any misunderstanding, the angel clarified which prayer he was referring to, prayer concerning the wife’s barrenness. So pray, pray believing. (Of course, trouble can sometimes arise as a direct consequence of our sinful actions, even then there is hope. Repent and look back to God for help in prayer, pray believing) Prayer: Lord, please help me always remember that you are with me. Thank you Lord. Amen. Not yet saved? Go here☞streamglobe.org/33 —Ikechukwu Mpama Bible in 1 Year: Hebrews 1-4 (in Devotional Audio) To start getting Streamglobe Devotional Text & Audio on your WhatsApp, join our WhatsApp Group Here☞ https://chat.whatsapp.com/Lj4FUvUsxgJG8Q8UGsXUMF
Knowing The Will Of God: Marriage 1
Romans 12:2 (NET) 2 Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect. A renewed mind is the only mind that can discern the will of God. As a believer, your mind is renewed when you allow the word of God change the way you think. These are the three components of the will of God as perceived by the renewed mind: It is GOOD, it is WELL-PLEASING and it is PERFECT GOOD: Only God and who/what is born of God is good. A ruler came to Jesus and said ‘good teacher’ (see Luke 18-19) Jesus asked him ‘why do you call me good?’ He then said ‘no one is good except God alone’. Jesus implicitly asked the young ruler that ‘are you saying that I’m God?’ Because that’s who Jesus was. The important lesson Jesus was teaching is that you cannot find ‘Good’ outside God. The young ruler came to Jesus and called Him ‘good teacher’, but he did not understand what he was talking about. Jesus was indeed good, but not because of the man’s definition. He was good because He was born of God, and is God. You cannot define Good outside God. What does this mean when it comes to who to marry? A person is only good when he or she is born of God. The first attribute of the will of God is that it must be good. God warns us not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers (see 2 Cor 6:14) As a believer, this is the most important consideration in determining the will of God concerning who to marry. Go into today remembering that being a believer does not just mean the person says he or she is a Christian. The person must believe in God the way you believe in God. —Pst Abraham Damilola Arigi Yearly Plan: John 19-21 (In Devotional Audio)
A Joyful Man is a Praiseful Man
Psalm 100:4(KJV) Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. God is the Almighty God, the creator of the universe and all that is in it. One thing God will not do for Himself is to praise himself. Praise is appreciating God for His faithfulness and all He has done and will do. God delights in it and makes it his habitation (Ps. 22:3). Praising God is a command and not a suggestion. 1Thess 5:18(AMPC) says “Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]“. And this must be done sincerely and with the whole of our hearts and being. Show me a joyful man and I will show you a praiseful man who is full of faith. What you can’t praise God for you don’t have faith for. Any situation or challenge that takes the joy out of your heart has killed your faith (Habakkuk 3:17-19; Joel 1:12; Isa.12:3). No matter what happens, never allow the devil to steal your joy for it is a gateway into God’s very presence. True praise provokes God to arise on our behalf in life’s terrible situations and it delivers our victory. When you have done all you know to do and nothing seems to change, praise God for it is a sure means to victory (1Chron. 20:20-23 Acts16:25-26). Praise gives rise to Supernatural Increase (Psalm 67:3-7). Go into today knowing that a praiseful man is a joyful man. Consciously praise God and expect a supernatural increase in every area of your life. Prayer: Lord, give me the garment of praise afresh. Amen. Not yet saved? Go here☞streamglobe.org/33 —George Evuarherhe Djorhogba Bible in 1 Year: Proverbs 25 http://listen.streamglobe.org/Devotional%20Audio%202101.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()Subscribe: RSS
Discerning The Body of Christ 3
1 Corinthians 11:29-30 (KJV) For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. No member of the body is strong on its own; the strength of every part is drawn from its attachment to other parts. If the hand is detached from the shoulder, it will not be able to perform the function of the hand. The same applies to the body of Christ (the Church). If you consider a member of the body alone, that member is weak. So, if you continue to see the individual parts of the body alone, you will always see weakness. If you must see, experience and constantly enjoy the strength in the body, you must see each member in the light of the whole body. When you tear down your father’s house, it shows that you are either ignorant or have been overtaken by an external influence. Ephesians 5:29 (KJV), “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church.” Mark 9:40 (KJV), “For he that is not against us is on our part”. If you have done this in the past, repent and turn over a new leaf now, because you have been enlightened. You may not be physically sick, weak or poor now, even when you have criticized, condemned and have torn down the body of Christ, but you must remember that you are a steward and will give an account of your stewardship. Matt 12:26(KJV): But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Go into today determined to be more careful with the things you say especially as it pertains the body of Christ. —Dr. Emmanuel James Bible in 1 Year: Proverbs 25 (in today’s Telegram audio)