The Paradox of Rest
Hebrews 4:11a (KJV) Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest. Eno was excited and filled with joy. She put a call across to Doris asking, “So since God is at work in me to work His good pleasure, it is settled. I don’t have to do anything else. Or do I?” The idea of God’s Rest does not absorb man of his responsibility. It just means that man’s labors must be directed at receiving, walking in, and making the most of God’s provision. Apostle Peter writing to believers began by assuring us that God’s divine power has given us “all that pertains to life and godliness”, and that He has bestowed on us the privilege of partaking in His divine nature. Nonetheless, in the very next breath, he says the following: “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to your virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Read 2 Peter 3-8). The believer who wishes to walk in the benefits of God’s Rest begins by understanding that only by trusting in the finished works of Christ can he be justified, then he begins to joyfully release himself to God’s demands upon his life knowing that God supplies the ability to do them. He is no longer trusting in his abilities to produce God’s result and so he buries all his efforts into building his faith, receiving strength in his inner man, understanding the will of God and following the leading of the Holy Spirit. He builds his capacity to trust God even more, he gives himself to praying, and praying the right way, knowing that this builds him up as well as makes God’s tremendous power available for working. He renews his mind and enjoys the transformation of the Holy Spirit. Where before he tries to get healing because of his need for it, now he prays to receive healing in full assurance because he has seen and believed that God’s word says he is healed. Labour therefore but not to produce dead works, but rather to enter God’s rest from whence good works are produced in righteousness. Pray like this: Lord, help me enter your rest and cease from my own fruitless works. Amen. Want to be saved? Click here☞ https://bit.ly/streamglobe83 —Ikechukwu MpamaBible in 1 Year: Ephesians 4-6 Streamglobe is Nondenominational. Kindly share this devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us: WhatsApp: +2348034420524, +2349055565838 Join Our WhatsApp Group to Start Getting Streamglobe Devotional Text & Audio From us early every day. Click Here to join: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HNPtVLBWeBEEyehwcOIFAP
Slow Down: God At Work
Philippians 2:13 (AMP) [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight… “Pius, we need to talk”, said Pius to himself. “How much longer will this cycle continue. You lie and have an unbridled tongue that can, at the least provocation, lash out in anger or indulge in vulgar talk. You repent with profuse tears and deep remorse, promising God heaven and earth and vowing good behavior going forward only to go right back to the same old pattern of fears, lies and lack of self-control. For how much longer Pius?” God-sized demands are only met by God-sized ability. What God has done in redemption is to produce a new race of men who are wired with the DNA of his Son, who Himself is God, knowing that what man needs is not mere wiping away of his old sin but a change of nature. God provided man with a new spirit, and the Holy Spirit to dwell in our heart. Now this new nature functions by the power of God. The best a recreated man can do is to discover how to depend on God so that His power can have free course. The verse preceding today’s text talks about ‘working out one’s salvation’, however, the following verse, which is today’s text, makes it very clear that the out-working of one’s salvation is only made possible by the inworking of God in us. Somewhere around River Jabbok, as the morning sun was slowly rising over the horizon, Jacob was busy contending with God. This was a man who knew his way around difficult men and difficult situations, employing hook and crook to achieve his ends. However, on this fateful morning, it was until his thigh was put out of joint that, for once, God had his way with him, and Israel was born (See Gen 32:22-30). Learn to trust God. Learn to trust in His word. God’s word has integrity, it is alive and full of power. The wisdom of resting on (believing, trusting and doing) God’s word is that God is watching over His word to perform it. His angels are attentive to His word to bring it to pass. Go into today remembering that when a man depends on God through His word, he is tapping into grace, for God himself will supply the strength and wisdom needed to accomplish what His word says. Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me depend on you and draw strength to please you in all things. Amen. Want to be saved? Click here☞ https://bit.ly/streamglobe83 —Ikechukwu Mpama Join Our WhatsApp Group to Start Getting Streamglobe Devotional Text & Audio From us early every day. Click Here to join: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HNPtVLBWeBEEyehwcOIFAP Bible in 1 Year: Luke 11-12 Streamglobe is Nondenominational. Kindly share this devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us: WhatsApp: +2348034420524, +2349055565838 http://listen.streamglobe.org/Devotional%20Audio%202269.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()Subscribe: RSS
The Need For Obedience
James 4:7 (KJV) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Praise was so full of joy that it radiated out. His countenance was lighted up and his mood changed to a very cheerful one. He continued in this state for days, and even his neighbors noticed. ‘‘What has changed? Praise is now different?’’ One of his neighbors responded, ‘‘Praise has just received Jesus as his savior, and what you are seeing him display is the joy of salvation”. But time passed, and unfortunately, Praise went back to doing some of the evil things he forsook, and the joy left. He became hot-tempered and unfriendly again. Because he wanted the joy and peace back, he would not miss any Church service, would do every assignment committed to him in Church the best way he could, prayed and fasted, but all these did not result in him being joyful. What really went wrong? God’s commandment to every child is ‘obey’ (Ephesians 6:1) and the same applies to every newly born again child of God. After salvation, God expects that every child of His grows to the point where they can willfully submit to him because it is at this point that a man becomes useful to him and this is God’s ultimate aim: learning to obey God is the only route to this. Obedience is what brings us to the point where we can willingly submit to God. This you will achieve after a very long period of obedience. Sadly, only very few ever get to this level in God. We were dead because of sin and our nature was that of the devil. This nature was taken away at salvation, but the corruption in our minds remain. The way God chose to deal with this corruption is by giving us commandments that must be obeyed. The compendium of these commandments is what is referred to as the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. After steady and consistent obedience to these commandments, our minds are being renewed by the life that the law of life gives. At the height of this renewal, we gain the ability to now use our will to choose what God wants(our desires become His desires). It is after this that we can submit or offer ourselves to God and this enables us to resist the devil. If you noticed that you often fall into temptations, it could be that you have not been faithful in obeying God. Go into today knowing that it is by obeying God that you gain the ability to submit to God and resist the devil. Prayer: Ask the Lord to empower you with grace to obey him. —Dr. Emmanuel James Bible in 1 Year: Ezekiel 1-6 Streamglobe is Nondenominational. Kindly share this devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us: WhatsApp: +2348034420524, +2349055565838 Join Our WhatsApp Group to Start Getting Streamglobe Devotional Text & Audio From us early every day. Click Here to join: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HNPtVLBWeBEEyehwcOIFAP http://listen.streamglobe.org/Devotional%20Audio%202268.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()Subscribe: RSS
Be Careful How You Build
1 Corinthians 3:9 (NET) We are coworkers belonging to God. You are God’s field, God’s building. Apostle Paul was a tentmaker (this made him a builder). He usually built for his clients and received his payment at the end of his job. This was mostly how he sustained himself and paid his bills while ministering the gospel to the pagans. He used the illustration of building to explain certain truths to the Corinthians. He likened the ministry work he was doing among them to a building project. But just like his building projects, this building was not his own but the Lord’s and he would be rewarded for his work on it. When he said ‘we are God’s coworkers’, he was referring particularly to himself and every other minister of God like Apollos who had ministered and were ministering to the Corinthians. We would see that he went ahead to explain the part of the building he was responsible for, and how others were responsible for other parts of the building. He left a sublime warning to every other person building among the Corinthians to be careful how they build because just like an earthly builder, they would be judged according to how consistent with the master plan their building turns out to be. Many people have set out to build for God without receiving a building plan. They build because others are building and cannot build properly because they are not building according to the master plan. Go into today remembering that we are co-workers belonging to God. We do not belong to ourselves, and the work does not belong to us. At the end of the day, we shall give an account of our work and be rewarded accordingly. Prayer: Ask the Lord to help you build correctly according to His plan. —Abraham Damilola Arigi Bible in 1 Year: Proverbs 4 Streamglobe is Nondenominational. Kindly share this devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us: WhatsApp: +2348034420524, +2349055565838 http://listen.streamglobe.org/Devotional%20Audio%201676.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()Subscribe: RSS
The Pardon
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NET) For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast. Certain hardened criminals sentenced to death were given a royal pardon, but in order for them to receive it, they had to show their respective parole officers signs of a changed heart and mind. Some of them heard about the pardon and were so repentant and grateful, and they received their pardon and were set free to live new lives. Some of the criminals believed the news that the king had pardoned them, while some others didn’t hear the news because those who first enjoyed the pardon were too self-centered to remember to inform everyone about the pardon. Some others heard the news but refused to accept it because they were not willing to change their ways. They remained condemned prisoners. This is how our salvation is. We have received a pardon from God for our sins because of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus. It is only those who hear this good news and accept it that can receive the pardon. They are those who repent of their sins and are given the opportunity to a new life in Christ Jesus. Because of sin, everyone born into this world was condemned and going to perish. But there is a pardon for those who believe in the gospel(good news) and accept it. They repent of their sins and become good kingdom citizens. We can see that our salvation is not because of our works but because of the goodness and grace of God. We can also see that believing in the good news and repenting is the way to receive the gospel. Being a model citizen is not payment for our salvation, it is a reasonable response to it. Go into today thanking the Lord for the salvation of your soul. Prayer: Ask the Lord to help you do your best in spreading the good news of salvation to those who haven’t heard and believed. —Abraham Damilola Arigi Yearly Bible Plan: Psalms 69-71 You are invited to the 2020 Streamglobe Conference | Date: August 20th-22nd | Venue: Holy Faith Bible Church, Lokoja, Nigeria. | Guest Minister: Apostle Arome Osayi Join Our Daily Interactive Online Bible Study Today by 2pm (GMT +1). ZOOM Meeting ID: 536206651 Streamglobe is Nondenominational. Kindly share this devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us: WhatsApp: +2348034420524, +2349055565838 Join Our WhatsApp Group to Start Getting Streamglobe Devotional Text & Audio From us early every day. Click Here to join: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HNPtVLBWeBEEyehwcOIFAP http://listen.streamglobe.org/Devotional%20Audio%202267.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()Subscribe: RSS
Are You The Righteousness Of God?
2 Corinthians 5:21(ESV) For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. When Todd returned from work, he turned on his television set and as usual, he selected a Christian channel. The preacher preached from today’s text and in his conclusion said ‘‘if you are a child of God, you are the righteousness of God and what you do or do not do cannot change that; all you need is to believe what Jesus has done”. Just after the preacher had finished his preaching, another preacher began to preach on the same channel, this other preacher however said, ‘‘as a child of God, you must be watchful because it is possible to fall”. Todd became confused not knowing which of the two preachers to follow. While it is true that Jesus was made sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God, note, however that it is so that ‘‘we might become’’. In another word, without the work of Jesus, we cannot become the righteousness of God. Now that you have been granted access through Christ Jesus, you are to judge yourself. If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world (1 Corinthians 11:31-32). From the above scripture, we see that it is possible for us to be condemned with the world. Who then is the righteousness of God? It is the one in whom sin and flesh have been judged. There cannot be righteousness without judgment (Isaiah 26:9b). Isaiah 1:26 KJV reads “and I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, the city of righteousness, the faithful city”. You see, righteousness is always a product of judgment. If you lead a life that is without restraint, it is because you have not met with the Judge. No one continues in lawlessness after encountering the Judge. Go into today knowing that you can become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Pray this way: O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing (Jeremiah 10:24). —Dr. Emmanuel James Yearly Bible Plan: I Kings 10-13 You are invited to the 2020 Streamglobe Conference | Date: August 20th-22nd | Venue: Holy Faith Bible Church, Lokoja, Nigeria. | Guest Minister: Apostle Arome Osayi Join Our Daily Interactive Online Bible Study Today by 2pm (GMT +1). ZOOM Meeting ID: 536206651 Streamglobe is Nondenominational. Kindly share this devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us: WhatsApp: +2348034420524, +2349055565838 http://listen.streamglobe.org/Devotional%20Audio%202266.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()Subscribe: RSS
Church Growth
1 Corinthians 3:5-6 (NET) What is Apollos, really? Or what is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, and each of us in the ministry the Lord gave us. I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused it to grow. When Jide became a pastor, his major concern was church growth. He wanted people to come in their numbers to the local church assembly he led. He was expecting growth and asking for growth, but wasn’t planting and watering. His idea of church growth was simply limited to numerical growth which was a result of creating a conducive worship environment for people who came by invitation to want to come back. The method of growth he expected was one that took advantage of what others have planted. He was not making any effort to bring sinners into the kingdom of God. All his effort was focused on causing people who already believe to leave their churches and start coming to his own. Before you can expect God to give increase to any work of ministry you do, there has to be planting, and there has to be constant watering. You cannot separate real church growth from evangelism and active discipleship. It could be media (radio, television, print) or house to house evangelism, but there has to proper evangelism and proper discipleship for there to be proper church growth. There is the increase that God gives and there is the false increase that man orchestrates. To receive the increase that God gives, the ministry must be involved in planting and watering. Go into today remembering that soul-winning and discipleship is the most important assignment of any local church assembly. The devil will always try to distract the church from the core assignments into focusing on other less important but high sounding things. Prayer: Ask the Lord to show you how to properly plant and water so that His increase will come to every work He has entrusted you with. —Abraham Damilola Arigi Yearly Bible Plan:: Leviticus 1-3 Streamglobe is Nondenominational. Kindly share this devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us: WhatsApp: +2348034420524, +2349055565838 Join Our WhatsApp Group to Start Getting Streamglobe Devotional Text & Audio From us early every day. Click Here to join: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KUcDrNsvZm4DxmRSj3HIHH http://listen.streamglobe.org/Devotional%20Audio%201673.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()Subscribe: RSS
Quickened to New Life 3
Ephesians 2:4-5 (NET)But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you are saved! When Tade was a little boy, he used to attend church service with his parents, but he never really accepted the Lord Jesus. After his mother passed on many years later, he became bothered because he knew that her spiritual life acted as a covering over them. He couldn’t describe it but he knew that she was spiritually alive and he was not. After retirement, because he was now spending more time at home, he got to hear the gospel from some youths from a nearby church who were on house to house evangelism. Something one of them said got to him and remained in his heart for months – – “he that has the Son has life”. Tade knew that that statement was true. His mother who had recently passed on had the Son and she had life. There was this peace (and joy) about her that indicated something deeper, it was eternal life. Tade was now ready to accept the Lord Jesus because he too wanted to have life. Those who are not yet born again are spiritually dead (see Ephesians 2:5). We see from today’s Bible verse that those who believe in Jesus are made alive. This life is eternal life. It has the ability to quicken. That’s why those who believe shall lay their hands on the sick and they shall recover. It is this life that flows through them to quicken the sick. After you have received eternal life, in order for it to dominate the death of the flesh, you have to walk in the spirit. Those who do not walk in the spirit, who sow to the flesh by walking in the flesh, would reap death. But those who sow to the spirit by walking in the Spirit will reap life eternal. This is the most superior life in existence. The more you walk in the spirit, the more your life would be able to express the eternal life that you have received as an incorruptible seed in your spirit. Go into today knowing that as you walk in the spirit, the power of the divine life would manifest in your life and make you a wonder. Prayer: Ask the Lord for renewed strength to walk in the Spirit and manifest eternal life. Want to be saved? Click here☞ https://bit.ly/streamglobe83 —Abraham Damilola Arigi Yearly Bible Plan: Ephesians 1-3 You are invited to the 2020 Streamglobe Conference | Date: August 20th-22nd | Venue: Holy Faith Bible Church, Lokoja, Nigeria. | Guest Minister: Apostle Arome Osayi Join Our Daily Interactive Online Bible Study Today by 2pm (GMT +1). ZOOM Meeting ID: 536206651 Streamglobe is Nondenominational. Kindly share this devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us: WhatsApp: +2348034420524, +2349055565838 Beware of scammers! No one in Streamglobe would contact you for any WhatsApp Code or for money. http://listen.streamglobe.org/Devotional%20Audio%202265.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()Subscribe: RSS
Religious or a Christian?
Romans 14:17 (KJV) For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost Tade and Tayo lost their jobs in the same week. On the Saturday of that week, Tade went for evangelism. Tayo who also was a member of the evangelism unit, however, stayed at home complaining, crying, and asking God questions. When Tade returned, she asked Tayo why she was not present for evangelism. Tayo immediately burst into tears: ‘why should God do this to me? Why me? I have been faithful; I paid my tithe’. It was at that point that Tade realized that Tayo had not really known God as her Father because she lacked God’s peace and joy. Christianity is not just another religion, it is a life. Christians are people who have the life of Christ and are Christ-like. In John 16:33 (KJV) Jesus says “in me you will have peace, but in the world tribulation” and in John 14: 27 (ESV) Jesus says “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”. You see, Christians are people who have God’s peace. They are joyful even when faced with challenges; they have peace, even in the midst of storms. It is an inward life manifesting outwardly, it is no pretense neither is it complacency. It is real and tangible. If your joy and peace is tied to things, situations, or happenings, you need to check if you really have God in you. God’s peace is from God who is above all. All things are subject to it and not the other way round. This peace and joy is a mark that distinguishes Christians. Go into today knowing that true peace and joy are exclusively reserved for God’s children. Do you want true peace and joy? Become God’s child. Want to be saved? Click here☞ https://bit.ly/streamglobe83 —Dr. Emmanuel JamesYearly Plan: Luke 9-10 Streamglobe is Interdenominational. Kindly share this devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us: WhatsApp: +2348034420524, +2349055565838
Quickened to New Life 2
Ephesians 2:2-3 (KJV) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Amaka had believed in the Lord Jesus, but she was still under the control of her flesh (and mind) and not under the control of her regenerated spirit. While her flesh (and mind) was robust and strong, her spirit was weak because she did not know how to feed and build it up. She struggled spiritually until she understood that she was to be deliberate and intentional about letting the word of God fill her heart and empower her soul to align with the spirit, against the desires of the flesh. She used to spend most of her free time watching unwholesome movies and discussing with her friends who were unbelievers. But as she started taking her spiritual growth seriously, she spent most of her free time listening to edifying sermons and having edifying discussions with her new friends who loved the Lord. Even the movies she now watched were carefully selected. As she gave more time to the things that built up her spirit, she found that she was no more dominated by the flesh because her spirit was now strong and robust. Those who are outside of Christ are under the control of Satan the prince of the power of the air. Because they are controlled from their flesh which is physical, they can be manipulated by elemental spirits that control physical elements. Those who believe in Christ are made spiritually alive by Christ(1 Corinthians 15:45). Their born again spirits can now control them against the manipulation of elemental spirits through their flesh. Each time they yield to the spirit against the will of the flesh, they crucify the flesh and gain spiritual millage. If your spirit is stronger than your flesh, you will do the will of the spirit, but if your flesh is stronger than your spirit, you will consistently do the will of the flesh, and this produces death (see Romans 8:13). Go into today remembering to build up yourself on your most Holy faith (Jude 1:20). Remember to pray in the Holy Spirit and let the words of Christ dwell in you richly so that it can renew your mind. Prayer: Lord, help me daily build up my spirit and continually please you in all things. Amen. Want to be saved? Click here☞ https://bit.ly/streamglobe83 —Abraham Damilola Arigi Bible Yearly: Lamentations Streamglobe is Nondenominational. Kindly share this devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us: WhatsApp: +2348034420524, +2349055565838 http://listen.streamglobe.org/Devotional%20Audio%202264.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()Subscribe: RSS